IAF Mirage 2000 first to land on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway

The Mirage 2000 is a single-engine aircraft and needs a minimum of 2,000 feet to land. The aircraft used for the test here was sourced from the Gwalior Squadron. The test was conducted in the morning, at about 6:40 am close to the 118 milestone of the Yamuna Expressway.

The landing was monitored with the help of truck-mounted sensor systems, under the supervision of almost 100 technical staff. The test was conducted in the presence of Air Force officials and members of the Uttar Pradesh government.

A statement issued by the IAF said, "The aircraft made a practice approach on the highway, coming down to a height of 100 metres before landing off the next approach. The operations were conducted with active support from the government of Uttar Pradesh, Yamuna Expressway Authority, toll authorities of JP Infratech and the civil police. The IAF has plans to activate more such stretches on highways in the future.”

This is part of the Air Force’s new project to use a 3km section of the 308km Yamuna Expressway as an emergency road runway.