Watch: IAF's C-295 touches down on UP's Purvanchal Expressway during landing drill

A C-295 aircraft landed on the Purvanchal Expressway in Uttar Pradesh’s Sultanpur as part of the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) takeoff and landing practice. Other than the C-295, the IAF line-up featured Su-30 MKI fighter jets, Jaguar and Mirage 2000 fighter jets, AN-32 transports, and Mi-17 V5 helicopters.

The Indian Air Force conducted exercises to assess the expressway’s potential as a strategic alternative runway for use during wartime or national emergencies. These drills were carried out on a specialised 3.2 km-long airstrip near Akhlikiri Karwat village, which features a 320 mm-thick reinforced surface specifically designed to withstand the impact of heavy combat landings. Such highway airstrips serve as vital backup infrastructure, ensuring that the IAF maintains its operational capacity even if primary airbases are targeted or compromised by enemy forces.

Ahead of the exercise, the authorities sealed the 12-kilometre stretch of the expressway for the safety of the citizens. In addition to this, the state government, in co-operation with the IAF, decided to divert the traffic to accommodate the military manoeuvres.

PM MODI INAUGURATED SITE IN 2021

The site, where the IAF conducted the exercise, has historical significance, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated it in the year 2021. He landed a C-130J Hercules on November 16 of that year.

Almost two years later, the Indian Air Force conducted a training exercise and a four-hour-long airshow on the airstrip. The lineup involved Sukhoi-30MKI and Mirage 2000 fighter jets.

In today’s exercise, the drill highlighted unique strengths of the fleet, from the Jaguar’s low-altitude strike capabilities and the Su-30’s aerial command role to the Mi-17’s ability to deploy Special Forces via slithering.

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