Air Force trails are underway for historic event, when 8 Indian Air Force fighter jets will touch down on Agra-Lucknow expressway on its grand opening on November 21.
The 302 km-long expressway, which has been a dream project of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, has been completed in a record time of 22 months, and cost Rs 13,200 crore. The expressway will be operational by December.
“A dedicated 2 km stretch has been built for war-like emergencies on expressway, though we have also ensured that eco-system on the stretch is not disturbed” an UPEIDA source told TOI.
A stretch in Bangarmau of Unnao district was inspected by Sehgal and Air Vice Marshal Rajesh Issar, senior officer, administration, of Central Air Command.
#WATCH Unnao: IAF jets to touch down on Agra-Lucknow expressway on Nov 21, trial underway pic.twitter.com/tLKDgkjeeQ
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) November 18, 2016
This could be the biggest such landing exercise on an expressway for Indian military aviation.
Last year in the month of May, in a first for military aviation in the country, IAF successfully landed a French Dassault Mirage-2000 fighter jet on the Yamuna Expressway near Raya village, Mathura, as a part of elaborate trials to see how many other highways can be used for war-like emergencies.
At present, countries such as Germany, Poland, Sweden, South Korea, Taiwan, Finland, Switzerland, Poland, Singapore, Czechoslovakia and Pakistan have dedicated stretches on their expressways and highways for airplanes to land and take off in case of an emergency.
