Overview
- The Indian Air Force, which began a two-day exercise Wednesday, landed a C-295 on the Purvanchal Expressway to validate the emergency landing strip.
- A mixed fleet including Su-30MKI, Mirage-2000, Jaguar and Tejas fighters, plus AN-32 and Mi-17 V5 aircraft, executed touch-and-go runs and commando insertions by the Garud unit.
- Authorities set up a temporary air traffic control post beside the strip, and traffic on a 12-km section is diverted until May 1 to keep the area secure.
- Officials scheduled sessions by day and at night to prove safe operations in low-visibility conditions, with some periods closed to the public and viewing kept outside a security perimeter.
- The exercise uses a 3.2-km reinforced strip on the 341-km highway, building on 2021 and 2023 activations to refine joint procedures with UPEIDA and local administration for rapid activation.