KKN Gurugram Desk | In a landmark moment for India’s defense and infrastructure capabilities, the Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully conducted night landings of fighter aircraft on the Ganga Expressway near Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh, late Friday night. The event was part of a high-level air mobility and emergency preparedness exercise held on the expressway’s newly constructed 3.5-km airstrip.
Among the aircraft that performed the touchdown operations were Rafale, Sukhoi Su-30MKI, MiG-29, Mirage-2000, Jaguar, C-130J Super Hercules, and AN-32, along with MI-17 helicopters. The roar of these aircraft echoed across the district, creating a spectacle that left both defense personnel and civilians awestruck.
First Night-Time Fighter Landing on a Civilian Expressway in India
While fighter jet landings on highways are not new in India, this marks the first time such landings were conducted at night. The Ganga Expressway airstrip, constructed with a thick concrete layer, is India’s first expressway strip officially designed and certified for night-time military aircraft operations.
According to senior IAF officials, this strip is intended for emergency landings, combat readiness tests, and disaster response scenarios.
Day & Night Shows Display IAF’s Tactical Superiority
The IAF began its demonstration on Friday afternoon, with a fly-past and touchdown by transport aircraft AN-32 around 12:42 PM. This was followed by fighter sorties and precision landings by combat aircraft. The full-scale airshow continued into the night, with night landings between 8 PM and 10 PM.
Aircraft involved in the exercise:
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Rafale: Multirole combat fighter
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Sukhoi Su-30MKI: Long-range air dominance jet
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MiG-29 & Mirage-2000: Tactical air superiority fighters
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Jaguar: Deep penetration strike aircraft
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C-130J Super Hercules: Strategic airlift
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AN-32 & MI-17: Transport and utility aircraft
Emergency-Ready Infrastructure: The Strategic Role of Expressway Airstrips
The Ganga Expressway airstrip is 3.5 kilometers long and strategically located in Jalalabad Piru area of Shahjahanpur. It is a vital addition to India’s growing network of dual-use infrastructure, inspired by similar concepts in countries like Russia, China, Sweden, and Poland.
India has previously built such strips on highways in states like Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, but the Ganga Expressway strip is the first equipped for both day and night landings.
Ganga Expressway: A Backbone for Civil & Military Logistics
The 594-km-long Ganga Expressway is being constructed from Meerut to Prayagraj, with its final stretch nearing completion. The expressway aims to significantly improve civilian road connectivity in Uttar Pradesh, while also serving strategic defense mobility purposes.
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Expected completion: November 2025
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Military use case: Wartime deployment, emergency relief, logistics movement
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Civilian use: Fast-track connectivity between Western and Eastern UP
National Pride and Local Joy: Villagers Witness History
Thousands of residents from nearby villages gathered to witness the spectacle. Local school students, farmers, and children were seen sitting along the expressway’s edges, capturing moments on their phones as jets thundered overhead and touched down on the strip.
Particularly emotional were the landowners whose lands were acquired for the airstrip. They expressed pride and joy in seeing their contribution to national security.
“This is a matter of honor. Our land is now serving the country. What could be greater than that?” said a local farmer.
Air Power Meets Patriotism in Shahjahanpur
Shahjahanpur, often known for its rich legacy of freedom fighters and martyrs, saw a renewed wave of patriotism as IAF’s state-of-the-art aircraft maneuvered above the district. The show not only served military preparedness but also instilled national pride among the masses.
From children waving the Indian flag to elders reminiscing past wars, the airshow became a community-wide celebration of India’s rising air power and indigenous defense infrastructure.
Infrastructure Boost for Defense Preparedness
Defense experts lauded the exercise, noting how such expressway-based landing zones:
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Enhance strategic flexibility during wartime
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Support disaster response during natural calamities
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Reduce dependence on fixed airbases
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Serve as redundant runways in case of aerial attacks
With evolving regional threats and modern warfare tactics, the integration of expressway airstrips into India’s military logistics is a major step forward.
Looking Ahead: Future of Civil-Military Infrastructure in India
The Indian government is reportedly planning similar runway-integrated expressways in other states, including:
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Rajasthan (Desert Belt)
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Punjab (Border Proximity)
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Northeast states (Mountain Warfare Prep)
Experts suggest that India is likely to follow the global best practices of highway-based deployment readiness, particularly in light of China’s infrastructure build-up along the border.
The night landing of fighter aircraft on the Ganga Expressway is not just a display of air prowess—it is a strategic move blending infrastructure development with national defense. As India continues to modernize its armed forces and supporting infrastructure, such innovations ensure readiness, responsiveness, and reach, even in the most challenging scenarios.
The Shahjahanpur airshow will be remembered as a milestone in India’s journey toward a self-reliant and strategically robust defense ecosystem.
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