The stage is set for Uttar Pradesh to create history on Friday. Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter jets and transport aircraft will land and take off during the day and night on the newly built 3.5-km-long airstrip on the Ganga Expressway in Shahjahanpur. Uttar Pradesh is the first state in the country to have a night landing facility for fighter jets on an expressway.
Jaguar, which is a precision strike aircraft used in ground attack and anti-ship missions. and MIG -29, a fighter aircraft with high speed, high flight and ability to dodge radar will be the first ones to touch down on the airstrip.
Chief secretary of the Uttar Pradesh state government Manoj Kumar Singh reached Shahjahanpur on Friday morning. Senior officials of the state government and the Indian Air Force are also in Shahjahanpur today to witness the mega event.
IAF fighter jets will touch down and take off from the airstrip in daylight, and thereafter, between 7pm and 10pm. They will perform low fly-pasts at an altitude of just one metre, followed by landing and take-off drills.
Prominent fighter jets of the Indian Air Force to take part in the drill are Rafale, SU-30 MKI, MIRAGE-2000, MiG-29, Jaguar, C-130J SUPER HERCULES, AN-32 and MI-17 V5 helicopter.
The Ganga Expressway will be the fourth expressway in the state that will have an airstrip for fighter jets of the Indian Air force. The three other airstrips are at Agra-Lucknow Expressway in Unnao, the Purvanchal Expressway in Sultanpur, and the Bundelkhand Expressway near Etawah. However, the Ganga Expressway is the first in Uttar Pradesh and across the country that has a night-landing facility.
{{/usCountry}}The Ganga Expressway will be the fourth expressway in the state that will have an airstrip for fighter jets of the Indian Air force. The three other airstrips are at Agra-Lucknow Expressway in Unnao, the Purvanchal Expressway in Sultanpur, and the Bundelkhand Expressway near Etawah. However, the Ganga Expressway is the first in Uttar Pradesh and across the country that has a night-landing facility.
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