The Indian Air Force conducted a major exercise on a 3.5-kilometer airstrip on the Ganga Expressway in Uttar Pradesh’s Shahjahanpur district yesterday, showcasing a spectacular display of its operational capacity.

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 exercise took place in two phases, daytime and nighttime, aimed at testing the expressway’s airstrip as a viable runway for emergency operations during conflicts or natural disasters. Uttar Pradesh Minister Danish Azad Ansari stated that Uttar Pradesh is the first state in the country to hold a night landing facility for fighter jets on an expressway.