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The roar of jet engines replaced the hum of traffic on Wednesday as the Indian Air Force (IAF) launched a high-stakes, two-day emergency landing exercise on the Purvanchal Expressway.
The drill, designed to test the military's ability to use national infrastructure as alternative runways during conflict, saw frontline aircraft operating just feet above the asphalt. As part of the exercise, troops were seen slithering down from a Mi-17 helicopter to conduct ground drills on the expressway. Fighter aircraft, including Sukhoi Su-30MKI jets and Jaguar jets, performed touch-and-go operations, demonstrating rapid landing and takeoff capabilities on the highway strip. In one of the key manoeuvres, Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets carried out coordinated aerial operations overhead. An Airbus C295 transport aircraft also successfully landed on the expressway, highlighting its potential utility for logistics and rapid deployment operations. The exercise was conducted to assess the expressway's capability as an alternative runway during wartime scenarios or national emergencies. The Purvanchal Expressway has been designed with strategic specifications allowing sections of it to be used as an emergency airstrip for military aircraft when required. Earlier, Air Marshal Umesh Yalla, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Maintenance Command of the Indian Air Force, underscored the need for greater indigenisation in military aerospace manufacturing to reduce dependence on foreign Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). Speaking at a seminar, he said India's aerospace sector has largely developed through licensed production of foreign-designed airframe structures, while critical systems like engines, avionics and aggregates continue to come as kits under strict external control. He highlighted the importance of developing repair and overhaul technologies, life extension capabilities, and indigenous upgrades to strengthen operational readiness. "These activities at the Base Repair Depots have been crucial to sustaining and enhancing the warfighting potential of the Indian Air Force," he said. He also pointed to challenges such as low-volume, high-variety production and safety-critical requirements, stressing the need for faster development, certification and material availability in mission-mode execution. (ANI)
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