Lucknow: A historic night operation took place when IAF fighter aircraft, including Rafale and Sukhoi-30 MKI, made their first-ever landing at a 3.5-km airstrip near Jalalabad while flying above Uttar Pradesh’s Ganga Motorway. The establishment of this motorway airstrip introduced India to its first all-hours functioning facility, which brought meaningful impacts to defence preparedness. The IAF proved unmatched precision and power through its moonlit drill, which operates according to the common saying, “When you dare, the stars will align for you.”
The exercise proceeded through two stages with daytime aircraft overflights and landings performed by Mirage-2000 and Jaguar planes together with the C-130J Super Hercules. The advanced lighting plus CAT II Instrument Landing System of the airstrip led aircraft to succeed in their landings throughout the hours between 7 PM and 10 PM under darkness. The drill conducted tests to determine whether this motorway could function as an emergency runway in times of war or crisis, particularly in light of increased tensions with Pakistan following the Pahalgam attack. The security measures consisted of 250 CCTV cameras which provided strong protection during the event while Class 10 student Kritika and other locals and students considered it an exciting experience.
The Ganga Motorway stands as Uttar Pradesh’s fourth motorway that has a built-in airstrip along its 594 km path from Meerut to Prayagraj and now enables night-landing operations. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed his enthusiasm for this facility when he checked the site shortly before pronouncing his praise of civil-military coordination. India demonstrated its commitment to transform roads into important strategic resources when the IAF displayed its capabilities for parliamentary officials and local students during the event.
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