Close to China border, India turns highway into runway for Rafales, Globemasters
India Today
PM Narendra Modi on Saturday is set to land on a 4.2-km Emergency Landing Facility carved out of a National Highway in Dibrugarh district of Assam. It isn't far from the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China. The landing will mark the operationalisation of the Northeast's first highway airstrip, where Rafales, Sukhois and heavy-lift aircraft like Globemasters are expected to take part in a mega airshow.
Hardly a few hundred kilometres from the Line of Actual Control (LAC), India is set to operationalise its first highway airstrip in its Northeastern part. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to land on the 4.2 kilometre Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) stretch of a National Highway in Dibrugarh district of Assam on Saturday, February 14, marking its opening.
Around 16 Indian Air Force aircraft, including Rafales and Sukhois, will take part in a mega airshow. Several fighter jets are expected to land on the highway runway. The ELF stretch, part of the Dibrugarh-Moran National Highway, is in Upper Assam, not far from India's eastern frontier with China.
Officials say it boosts national security and disaster preparedness. Geo intelligence expert Damien Symon on X said, "This airstrip enhances dispersed and survivable air power in crisis scenarios."
Days before its inauguration, videos circulating on social media showed IAF Rafale fighter jets and a C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft carrying out landings and touch-and-go operations on the highway strip.
Most of India's ELFs are situated in western, northern and central parts of the country. This is the first ELF in northeast India and close to the Chabua Air Force Station (AFS).
Unlocking another strategic potential, India has converted a portion of the Dibrugarh-Moran National Highway into an Emergency Landing Facility for the Indian Air Force.
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