As a part of its preparation for emergency and war like situations, the Indian Air Force(IAF) successfully landed a Mirage 2000 aircraft on the Yamuna Expressway on Thursday morning. This was the time a public stretch was used for military aviation by IAF.
The IAF has been considering the use of national highways for emergency landing by fighter aircrafts. Presently countries like Germany, Poland, Sweden, South Korea, Taiwan, Finland, Switzerland, Poland, Singapore, Czechoslovakia and Pakistan have dedicated stretches of their highways and runways for emergency landings.
Soon after the landing, a statement issued by IAF said, "The aircraft made a practice approach on the highway, coming down to a height of 100 metres before landing off the next approach. The operations were conducted with active support from the government of Uttar Pradesh, Yamuna Expressway Authority, toll authorities of JP Infratech and the civil police."
Further added, "The IAF has plans to activate more such stretches on highways in the future."
