The Indian Air Force showcased a spectacular display of its operational capacity today on a 3.5-kilometre airstrip on the Ganga Motorway in Uttar Pradesh’s Shahjahanpur district. The event, a first of its kind, featured advanced fighter jets like the Rafale, Jaguar, Mirage 2000, SU-30 MKI, and MiG-29, alongside transport aircraft such as the C-130J Super Hercules and AN-32, as well as the versatile MI-17 V5 helicopter.
The airshow took place in two phases, daytime and nighttime, aimed at testing the motorway’s airstrip as a viable runway for emergency operations during conflicts or natural disasters. Uttar Pradesh Minister of State Danish Azad Ansari stated that UP is the first state in the country to have a night landing facility for fighter jets on a motorway.