Indian Air Force fighter jets touch down on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway in Uttar Pradesh as part of the grand opening of India’s longest expressway; 4 Sukhoi jets and 2 Mirage 2000s perform simulated landings; Expressway can be used as air strip if needed.
The six-lane 302-km long expressway not only connects the city of Taj Mahal with state capital Lucknow, but also presents a quantum jump for the capabilites of the Indian Air force.
Four Sukhoi jets from Bareilly and four Mirage 2000s from Gwalior performed simulated landings on the Expressway at Unnao, around 50 km from Lucknow.
The Expressway is equipped with a 3 km long air strip for landing and take-off of IAF fighter jets. This is the second such facility on an expressway after the Delhi-Agra Expressway, where fighter jets have landed in the past.
The 302 km expressway has almost halved the distance between Agra and Lucknow, and now through the Taj Expressway one can travel from Delhi to Lucknow in 5 to 6 hours. Built in 23 months the expressway starts from Agra passing through Firozabad, Mainpuri, Etawah, Auraiya, Kannauj, Hardoi, Unnao, Kanpur to reach Lucknow.