Shahjahanpur (UP), May 2 (UNI) Fighter jets and other warplanes of the Indian Air Force (IAF) displayed their power with landing trials on the airstrip built on the Ganga Expressway in Jalalabad area of Shahjahanpur district here in Uttar Pradesh on Friday.

A three-and-a-half kilometre long airstrip built on the Ganga Expressway in Shahjahanpur is the first such airstrip in the country, where the fighter planes of the IAF will be able to make day and night landing.

Fighter jets of the IAF, including Rafale, Mirage and Jaguar, did an air show on the airstrip. These fighter planes did touch down practice on the expressway. The purpose of this air show is to use this expressway as an alternative runway in times of war or disaster.

The 464 km long expressway from Badaun to Prayagraj, a part of the under-construction Ganga Expressway connecting Meerut to Prayagraj, is being constructed by the leading industrial group Adani Group.

Three groups of 151.7 km from Badaun to Hardoi, 155.7 km from Hardoi to Unnao and 157 km from Unnao to Prayagraj are being constructed, which can be extended to eight lanes. More than 80 per cent of the work of Ganga Express has been completed.

Earlier, due to bad weather the airshow, which was scheduled to begin at 9.30 am started at 12.47 pm during which the IAF, displaying its valour, landed 16 fighter planes including Rafale, Mirage, Jaguar Mig-24 along with cargo aircraft on the airstrip and took off from here.

The Katra Jalalabad State Highway was completely closed from 7 pm to 10 pm for the night show. For security, 250 CCTV cameras have been installed in this entire area. Villagers along with school children joined in large numbers to see the show of IAF power.

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