NOIDA: New Delhi: For the first time, a Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force on Thursday successfully landed on the Yamuna Expressway near Mathura as part of trials to use national highways for emergency landing.
At 6.40 am, the fighter plane, which flew down from Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, skimmed the highway and landed briefly before taking off again. Local people, including villagers, gaped at the sight.
Before the landing, an IAF helicopter took several rounds in the air. Several air force personnel were at the spot and the area was cordoned off. A makeshift Air Traffic Control was set up. Bird-watchers were also on alert and fire engines and rescue vehicles were on stand-by.
Officials called it a practice drill to scope out possible landing strips on the national highway for fighter planes in case of an emergency. “It was basically a capability demonstration. IAF has plans to activate more such stretches on highways in the future,” said a spokesperson.
The six-lane Yamuna Expressway on the outskirts of the capital connects to Agra in Uttar Pradesh. The jet landing stalled traffic on the highway for a few hours.
The air force also coordinated with the Uttar Pradesh government and district officials in Agra and Mathura.
