Participating aircraft included Rafale, Sukhoi-30 MKI, Mirage-2000, MiG-29, Jaguar, C-130J Super Hercules, AN-32, and MI-17 V5 helicopters.
As the roar of fighter jets pierced the night sky above Uttar Pradesh’s Shahjahanpur, history was scripted on the tarmac of the Ganga Expressway. For the first time in India, the Indian Air Force demonstrated its might with night landings and take-offs on a public expressway—proving that the country’s highways are no longer just roads, but runways of national resilience.
India’s First Night-Landing-Ready Expressway Airstrip
This remarkable feat makes the Ganga Expressway the first expressway in the country to be engineered for both day and night operations of fighter aircraft. Equipped with cutting-edge lighting and navigation systems, this dedicated airstrip enables precision landings even in low-visibility conditions, setting a new benchmark in India’s dual-use infrastructure development.
The ‘touch and go’ exercise was conducted in two phases—one in the daytime and the other between 7 PM and 10 PM—to fully test the expressway’s night-operational readiness and also to showcase IAF’s operational strength, especially amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan. Participating aircraft included Rafale, Sukhoi-30 MKI, Mirage-2000, MiG-29, Jaguar, C-130J Super Hercules, AN-32, and MI-17 V5 helicopters. These aircraft conducted low-altitude flypasts, some as low as one metre, before carrying out smooth landings and take-offs.
Grit, Precision, And The Sound Of Supersonic Thunder
On Friday, a sequence of drills began with an AN-32 transport aircraft executing a ceremonial flyover around 12:41 PM. The aircraft circled the area for about five minutes before landing and later took off around 1 PM. This was followed by the landing of IAF helicopters and fighter jets like Rafale, Sukhoi, and Jaguar, demonstrating the preparedness of the expressway’s newly built 3.5-kilometer airstrip.
However, after a brief lull, as the darkness enveloped the Saharanpur sky, the sky came alive again with the roar of jet engines. Between 7 PM and 10 PM, fighter aircraft performed low-altitude flypasts and precise landings, guided by the advanced lighting and navigation systems installed on the runway. The powerful visual and sonic display left observers awestruck, reinforcing the strategic capability of India’s infrastructure.
In a recent post, the UP CM Office highlighted that the expressway, the longest in the state, now features India’s first night landing airstrip for fighter aircraft, fortified with 250 CCTV cameras and ready for use in war or disaster scenarios. UP CM’s another post on ‘X’ reads, “Ganga Expressway is the longest in the state, stretching 594 kilometers. It now hosts the country’s first night landing airstrip—3.5 kilometers long—near Shahjahanpur, equipped with 250 CCTV cameras for round-the-clock surveillance. This expressway has been strategically designed to support contingency scenarios like war or disaster, allowing Air Force fighter aircraft to take off and land at any hour.”
Spanning across 594 kilometers, the Ganga Expressway connects Meerut in western UP to Prayagraj in the east, traversing through 12 districts including Hapur, Amroha, Sambhal, Budaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, Rae Bareli, Pratapgarh, and Prayagraj. Once fully operational, it is expected to drastically cut travel time across the state and serve as a major economic corridor.
The 3.5-kilometer-long airstrip, located near Kurebhar village in Shahjahanpur district, was constructed keeping in mind national defense needs. The airstrip is part of a broader vision to ensure that India’s infrastructure can double up as operational assets for the armed forces in times of crisis or war.
What Makes The Ganga Expressway Airstrip Special?
Officials said the airstrip on the Ganga Expressway is perhaps the country’s first road runway in the country designed to accommodate night landings and take-offs of fighter aircraft. This is made possible by integrating advanced LED-based lighting systems, GPS-guided navigational aids, and tactical runway markings that enable precision in low-light conditions. Built with high-strength concrete and reinforced for durability, the airstrip is capable of handling the impact of heavy military aircraft such as the Rafale and the C-130J Super Hercules. Security has also been prioritized, with over 250 CCTV cameras installed along both sides of the airstrip to ensure continuous monitoring. What further enhances its strategic utility is its convertible design—featuring removable median dividers and a clear runway path free of overbridges or signage—allowing it to seamlessly switch from an expressway to a fully operational airstrip in times of emergency.
Strategic Relevance Amid Regional Tensions
This display of capability comes at a time of heightened alertness following the Pahalgam terror attack in Kashmir on April 22. With borders under constant scrutiny, having emergency runways integrated into national highways and expressways is a forward-looking strategy that enhances India’s quick-response capabilities during wartime or natural disasters.
The exercise demonstrated that even civilian infrastructure can be leveraged for military preparedness, providing redundancy and strategic flexibility to India’s armed forces.