IAF to use another UP highway for landing
New Delhi, Nov 19, 2016, DHNS
A brand new stretch of a highway in Uttar Pradesh is set to be the second of the 22 road segments prepared by the Indian Air Force (IAF) as alternative landing strips in the time of an emergency.
The Agra-Lucknow Expressway will be the second road where the IAF’s Mirage-2000 fighter jets will touch down on Monday. A practice drill was carried out on Friday in the presence of officials.
The first such landing took place on the Yamuna Expressway in May 2015 when IAF’s Mirage test landed after taking off from Gwalior.
Over the last few years, the air headquarters was in touch with states governments to identify the roads where its fighter jets can land. Earlier this year, a parliamentary panel had appreciated the IAF for going ahead with its plan of finding out alternative landing strips.
Following several rounds of discussions, officials from the ministry of defence, road transport and the IAF found 22 road segments in the north, east and western parts of the country, sources said.
In fact, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari harbours an ambitious plan of converting one of the road segments in Rajasthan in such a way that the same strip can double up as a runway and a road.
On such a road, vehicular traffic would be closed well before a flight lands and it would open up for vehicle movement once the plane takes off.
The Rajasthan airport plans, however, are only on papers as no aircraft has landed so far. But if the plan succeeds, then similar airports may come up in the Northeastern states, increasing India’s regional connectivity. Some of India’s neighbours already use highways as landing strips.
Myanmar has a vast experience in this area, whereas in September the Pakistan Air Force used a piece of the highway between Lahore and Islamabad for its J-17 jet’s touch down and take-off .
“When compared to international developments, our services has been a little late in reaching this landmark (highway landing). We recommend more road stretches be explored and identified for this purpose during the coming years,” the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence had stated in its report earlier this year.
The Agra-Lucknow Expressway will be the second road where the IAF’s Mirage-2000 fighter jets will touch down on Monday. A practice drill was carried out on Friday in the presence of officials.
The first such landing took place on the Yamuna Expressway in May 2015 when IAF’s Mirage test landed after taking off from Gwalior.
Over the last few years, the air headquarters was in touch with states governments to identify the roads where its fighter jets can land. Earlier this year, a parliamentary panel had appreciated the IAF for going ahead with its plan of finding out alternative landing strips.
Following several rounds of discussions, officials from the ministry of defence, road transport and the IAF found 22 road segments in the north, east and western parts of the country, sources said.
In fact, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari harbours an ambitious plan of converting one of the road segments in Rajasthan in such a way that the same strip can double up as a runway and a road.
On such a road, vehicular traffic would be closed well before a flight lands and it would open up for vehicle movement once the plane takes off.
The Rajasthan airport plans, however, are only on papers as no aircraft has landed so far. But if the plan succeeds, then similar airports may come up in the Northeastern states, increasing India’s regional connectivity. Some of India’s neighbours already use highways as landing strips.
Myanmar has a vast experience in this area, whereas in September the Pakistan Air Force used a piece of the highway between Lahore and Islamabad for its J-17 jet’s touch down and take-off .
“When compared to international developments, our services has been a little late in reaching this landmark (highway landing). We recommend more road stretches be explored and identified for this purpose during the coming years,” the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence had stated in its report earlier this year.
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