When fighter jets land and take off from India's highways it's not just 'show' of strength

In a groundbreaking military manoeuvre , the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Friday successfully executed a high-profile “land and go” operation on a section of the Ganga Expressway in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The 3.5-kilometre stretch served as the makeshift runway for this landmark event, which, for the first time in India’s defence aviation history, enabled fighter jet landings during both daylight and nighttime conditions.

The exercise showcased an impressive array of IAF aircraft. These included top-of-the-line fighter jets like the Rafale , SU-30 MKI, Mirage-2000, MiG-29, and Jaguar. In addition, transport and support aircraft such as the C-130J Super Hercules, AN-32 and the MI-17 V5 helicopter were also part of the operation.

According to PTI, the temporary airstrip had been outfitted with a Category II Instrument Landing System (ILS). This advanced technology allows for low-visibility landings, effectively ensuring the strip’s availability for continuous, 24-hour operations.

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Prior to this, such operations were confined to the Agra-Lucknow and Purvanchal expressways and were limited strictly to daytime execution with no precedent for conducting them after dark. The Shahjahanpur drill marks a significant leap forward in India’s readiness for flexible air operations in varied conditions.

The Ganga Expressway changes that paradigm by introducing night-landing capability expanding India’s military readiness. The airstrip is part of a broader strategy to develop Emergency Landing Facilities (ELFs) on national highways to serve as contingency bases during conflict or disaster.

Rise of dual-use infrastructure in modern warfare

As war becomes more unbalanced and high-tech, it is very important for a country to keep its air operations going, even if regular airbases are damaged. India has recently made progress in turning parts of its highways into ELFs for fighter planes. This shows a big change in strategy. Uttar Pradesh now has four working highway airstrips.

Now, the focus has shifted from asking whether fighter jets can land on roads to how well this infrastructure can be part of the national defence system.

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Military airbases and highway runways are built for different reasons and have very different designs. Knowing these differences is not just about theory—it matters in real-life military use. This is especially true for India, which shares borders with two nuclear-armed countries that have strong air and missile forces.

Surface quality and strength

Military airfields are made using strong concrete or specially treated asphalt. These surfaces are built to handle the heavy weight and strong pressure of fighter jets taking off and landing again and again. They have grooves to help drain water, special coatings to stop rubber from building up from aircraft tyres and are regularly maintained to meet strict military standards.

On the other hand, highways—even modern ones like the Ganga Expressway—are mainly built for vehicles. Although the airstrip in Shahjahanpur has been strengthened to support aircraft, it still does not have the special surface layers that regular military runways have. According to a News18 report, this makes it risky for jets as there is a higher chance of skidding, hydroplaning (sliding on water) or tyre damage during high-speed landings or takeoffs.

Runway dimensions

Another big difference is the size of the runway. Military runways are carefully planned to match the needs of aircraft like the Rafale or Mirage-2000. This includes space for speeding up, slowing down and keeping enough distance for the wings.

Even though this airstrip is good for Short Takeoff and Landing (STOL) aircraft like the Rafale or Mirage-2000, the limited space on highways can be challenging. This is especially true during emergency situations. Fighter pilots will have to adjust to working in trying conditions, which do not have the wide safety margins that normal airbases offer.

Obstruction management

Handling obstacles is another area where highway airstrips are not as good as regular military airbases. Military airbases are built in protected areas where there are strict rules about how tall nearby buildings or structures can be and how close they can be to the runway. But highways are located in regular civilian areas may often be surrounded by power lines, trees and buildings. These can make it harder for aircraft to take off or land safely.

For example, the Shahjahanpur airstrip on the Ganga Expressway needs constant and careful coordination with local authorities to manage the nearby infrastructure. Because of these issues, pilots may face more challenges and intense and careful practice is paramount.

Operational support infrastructure

Military airbases are like mini cities for aircraft. They have everything in place—air traffic control (ATC) towers, navigation equipment, fuel storage, repair hangars and emergency services. In contrast, highway airstrips rely on mobile or temporary setups.

To run even one fighter jet mission from a highway, mobile ATC units, portable lights, fuel trucks and maintenance crews must be brought in ahead of time. This makes things more complicated and takes more time to prepare.

Fortified bases vs open roads

Security is a very important difference between military airbases and highway airstrips. Military airfields are heavily protected with limited access, round-the-clock surveillance and quick-response teams. Highways, however, are public roads. Turning them into airstrips means stopping regular traffic, blocking entry points and setting up strong security measures—which takes a lot of planning and effort.

Even during planned exercises, like in 2017 when six IAF jets including Mirage-2000s and Sukhoi-30MKIs landed on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway, the entire area had to be carefully secured and cleared of all civilians. These extra steps make highway-based air operations slower to start and more open to possible security risks.

To improve safety, the designated area for such IAF operations on the Ganga Expressway has been fitted with over 250 CCTV cameras to provide constant monitoring and strong security, a PTI report said.

Why these differences matter

The difference between highway airstrips and full military airbases is not just about technical features—it has major strategic importance. In peacetime, these differences affect how often and how widely training can happen. In wartime, they can decide whether air operations can continue or whether they come to a stop.

Highway-based ELFs are vital backups during war or natural disasters. Given that striking at airbases at the start of a war is a known military strategy, spreading out aircraft operations becomes strategically important. ELFs can be used to refuel, rearm and launch fighter jets helping India maintain control in the air even if main bases are damaged.

Ganga Expressway redefines highway landings

Uttar Pradesh’s Ganga Expressway has set a new national benchmark by enabling night landings on a highway airstrip—a feat never before achieved in India. With a CAT II ILS system and reinforced pavement, the Shahjahanpur airstrip not only enables 24/7 operations but also expands the IAF’s capacity for rapid response in both wartime and humanitarian crises.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath emphasised that this expressway is “a runway for national security,” encapsulating the dual-use philosophy that modern defence planning demands. With expressways like Purvanchal, Bundelkhand and Agra-Lucknow already featuring operational strips, Uttar Pradesh’s four-runway model stands as a template for national replication.

Strategic redundancy

The importance of these alternate landing sites becomes stark in light of the threat environment. China’s terrain-hugging cruise missiles and Pakistan’s precision-strike artillery could neutralise traditional airbases in early combat phases. In such scenarios, highway airstrips allow dispersed aerial assets to regroup, refuel and counterattack. By placing these ELFs near existing airbases, logistical response times are reduced and the operational loop remains intact.

The integration of road-runways into India’s military doctrine reflects the country’s adaptation to the military realities of the time, especially when its principal rivals China and Pakistan have displayed highway landing capabilities. China began its highway landing drills as early as 1989 and executed one in Henan province in 2014, while Pakistan utilised its M-2 Motorway for such operations in 2000 and again in 2010 and 2019.

Civil-military synergy

Beyond military use, these dual-use infrastructures enhance civil resilience. During natural disasters—floods, earthquakes or pandemics—these airstrips can facilitate the movement of supplies, medical personnel and evacuation flights.

With 29 additional highway stretches identified for ELF development including those in Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Leh-Nyoma, the strategy is evidently being scaled nationally. Coordination between the IAF and the National Highway Authority of India ensures that the military’s evolving needs are being embedded into civilian projects from the planning stage.

Toward a resilient, mobile air power doctrine

The operational and structural differences between highway and military airfields are substantial—ranging from surface treatment and airspace control to security and infrastructure.

However, in an era where agility, survivability and adaptability define military success, highway-based airstrips offer a viable, albeit complex contingency platform. India’s model, spearheaded by the developments in Uttar Pradesh, illustrates how civilian infrastructure can be woven into a national defence strategy.

Why Ganga Expressway drill matters

The timing of this IAF exercise assumes immense significance against the backdrop of heightened tension between India and Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed to "identify, track and punish" perpetrators of the Pahalgam massacre and their backers.

PM Modi’s remarks set off a wave of speculation about India’s response to the terrorist attack. Indian forces had carried out cross-LoC (Line of Control) surgical strike in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in 2016 after terrorists targeted a military base in Uri. Again, after the Pulwama terror attack in 2019, India conducted an aerial strike in Pakistan’s Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The days after the Pahalgam terror attack has seen a series of punitive measures by India against Pakistan as preliminary probe by Indian security agencies uncovered links of the Pakistan Army's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) with the terrorists who targeted tourists, singling out them on the basis of their religious identities, in the popular meadows of Jammu and Kashmir.

Pakistan, rattled with India’s response that included putting the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, has resorted to suspension of all bilateral treaties including the key Simla Agreement and repeated violation of ceasefire at the LoC as well as live-fire drills in the Arabian Sea. The Pakistani provocations have received “proportionate” response from the Indian forces, officials have said.

The two sides have closed their respective airspaces to one-another’s flights. Several officials of the Pakistan government, including federal ministers, have given statements betraying their nervousness and anxiety over what they anticipate a military strike from the Indian side, targeting terror launchpads in the same fashion as seen after the Uri and Pulwama terror attacks. The IAF exercise on the Ganga Expressway under the  prevailing circumstances is not clearly not just a ‘show’ of strength.