Landing of IAF's Mirage-2000 on Yamuna Expressway: India joins China, Pakistan with 'road runways'

NEW DELHI: The aim behind successfully test-landing a Mirage-2000 fighter on the Yamuna Expressway on Thursday was to be able to use national highways during emergencies as well as conflict situations if it's required.

Though several countries, ranging from China and Pakistan to Sweden and Germany, have such "road runways", it was the first time that such a trial run was conducted in India. "If an airbase is under attack or bombed during a war, the IAF will need a proper surface from which it can continue to operate," said a senior officer.

Flown by Wing Commander Prashant Arora from the "Tigers" squadron based at Gwalior, the French-origin Mirage-2000 first made "a practice approach" around 100-metre over the highway. Then, after tearing back into the sky, the supersonic jet returned to finally touch down on the road at about 6.40 am. "It taxied for some distance before taking off again in a `roller' mode," he said.

"The aim is to activate such road runways on different highways around the country, which we are in the process of identifying. All facilities like a make-shift air traffic control, safety services, rescue vehicles, bird clearances parties and other requirements were set up by our personnel from the Agra Air Force Station for the mission on Thursday," he added.

Incidentally, this came close after two Mirage-2000 fighters landed on an airstrip in Saifai village in Etawah on Saturday. As reported by TOI earlier, the IAF had earlier held extensive meetings with the UP government to convert a 3-km stretch of the Yamuna Expressway into a road runway for fighters.

IAF's fleet of 50 multi-role Mirage-2000 fighters, which are also tasked with nuclear weapons delivery, are now being progressively upgraded with advanced avionics and long-range missiles.

While the first two Mirage-2000s were handed over to the IAF in March after being upgraded in France, the others will be progressively souped-up by HAL with technology transfer under the overall Rs 17,547 crore programme finalized in 2011-2012. India has also decided to go in for the direct purchase of 36 French Rafale fighters, which was finalized during the Modi-Hollande summit in Paris on April 10.