The Indian Air Force (IAF) carried out a flypast on the Ganga Expressway in Uttar Pradesh on Friday, May 2. The IAF is conducting take-off and landing exercises. The exercise is being organised to assess the expressway’s potential as an alternative runway during times of war or national emergencies amid ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan in the wake of the Pahalgam terrorist attack, which claimed 26 lives of innocent people, including a Nepali tourist, on April 22.
The IAF drill on the Ganga Expressway involved fighter jets and transport aircraft to check the ability of the newly constructed road during emergencies or wartime, as per the news agency ANI. The expressway is the first runway and road in India to support both day/night landings of fighter jets. Earlier, similar drills have been performed on the Lucknow-Agra and Purvanchal expressways, which occurred only during daylight.
Local people, including students, gathered to witness this rare exercise. As per the TOI report, Rafale, SU-30 MKI, and Mirage-2000 fighter jets were present during the event. The drills tested landings and takeoffs under all lighting conditions.
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Meanwhile, India's military has gone into high alert mode after the Pahalgam terror attack. The Indian Navy is also conducting a drill in the Arabian Sea, as multiple warships have conducted successful anti-ship missile firings to demonstrate long-range strike capabilities. Earlier, INS Surat, the newest guided missile destroyer in the Navy's fleet, successfully tested the Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MR-SAM) system.
Jointly developed with Israel, the system is capable of neutralising aerial threats up to 70 kilometres away. The destroyer, equipped with cutting-edge radar and AI systems, was commissioned earlier this year and marks a leap in India’s maritime defence strength.