IAF Hercules aircraft lands at Chinyalisaur airstrip near China border

Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand), An Indian Air Force (IAF) transport aircraft carried out two rounds of landing and take-off operations at the Chinyalisaur airstrip in Uttarkashi district on Friday morning, according to sources.

The heavy-lift Hercules aircraft arrived from the Agra airbase as part of an ongoing Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) exercise, where it landed to unload and reload a vehicle before taking off again.

Sources said the four-day tactical exercise was originally scheduled to begin on June 4, however, bad weather in the high-altitude region forced officials to postpone the drill by a day.


More IAF aircraft are expected to join the exercises in the coming days, they added.

The Chinyalisaur airstrip, located in the frontier district of Uttarkashi, holds significant strategic value for the air force due to its proximity to the China border. The air force has conducted successful landings of several of its aircraft at this location in the past.

Earlier, the airstrip had played a crucial role during the Silkyara tunnel rescue operation in November 2023.

At that time, a Super Hercules aircraft was deployed to transport heavy auger drilling machines in parts to the site to assist in the rescue efforts.