Indian Air Force drills fighter jets use expressway as runway

On 2026-04-22, the Indian Air Force conducted takeoff and landing drills on the Purvanchal Expressway in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The exercise used a 3.2-km emergency landing facility and involved multiple aircraft types, including Jaguars, Su-30 MKI, Mirage-2000, C-295, AN-32, and a Mi-17 V5 helicopter. It was intended to test the military’s ability to use national infrastructure as an alternative runway during conflict.