Lucknow:
Indian Air Force is all set to carry out full war drill on Agra-Lucknow Expressway at Bangarmau in Uttar Pradesh on October 24.
Sources close to News Nation in the Uttar Pradesh government and Indian Air Force confirmed the development.
According to plans, more than 20 aircrafts and cargo planes of the Indian Air Force will participate in the war drill on the expressway.
Sources told our reporter that Sukhoi, Tejas, Mikoyan MiG-29, Dassault Mirage 2000, Jaguar, MiG-27ML, MiG-21, Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, Ilyushin Il-76MD and Lockheed C-130J Super Hercules will take part in the drill.
According to a senior Indian Air Force, official Hercules will be a major attraction of the Indian Air Force drill as it is one of the largest carrier vehicles.
The official added all the planes will take off and land on the Expressway.
According to an Uttar Pradesh administrative official stationed at Bangarmau told News Nation that preparations for the drill have begun.
“We have received a list of requirements from the Indian Air Force. We are accordingly preparing,” added the administrative officer.
“Such drills are must during peace days. We have to identify the places where are jets can land and take off during wartime if enemy manages to destroy are major A-strips,” said Maj Gen KV S Lalotra (Retd) who has held important command and staff positions in the Indian Army. Maj Gen Lalotra commanded the strategic 17 Mtn Division along the Indo-China bprder at Sikkim and was the ADG Territorial Army.
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The Agra-Lucknow Expressway is 302-km six-lane Expressway which can be expanded to 8-lane. The expressway starts from Agra to reach Lucknow via Firozabad, Mainpuri, Etawah, Oraia, Kannauj, Hardoi,Kanpur Nagar and Unnao.
The 302 kilometer-long expressway was completed in a record time of 22 months at the cost of Rs 13,200 crore.
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Six fighter jets of the Indian Air Force participated at the opening ceremony of last year in November at Unnao, around 50 km from Lucknow.
Last year in the month of May, in a first for military aviation in the country, IAF successfully landed a French Dassault Mirage-2000 fighter jet on the Yamuna Expressway near Raya village, Mathura, as a part of elaborate trials to see how many other highways can be used for war-like emergencies.
