Bapatla (Andhra Pradesh): A trial run of the Indian Air Force (IAF) fleet is held on National Highway-16 in Bapatla district. An Emergency Landing Facility(ELF) has been set up on the highway for this purpose. The runway in the Bapatla district is the first ELF airstrip in peninsular India. Two such airstrips are already operational in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
A transport plane AN-32, two Sukhoi fighter planes and two Tejas-light combat fighters participated in the trial. "The report we got is that the runway is perfect for landing," an IAF official said, and added that there was still works pending for the runway.
"The pending works include fencing of the road on both sides to prevent entry of people and animals. We coordinated with officials of National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) on issues such as painting on the runway and consistency of the surface," the official said.
Bapatla Superintendent of Police Vakul Jindal said a strong security cordon was established with around 200 police personnel for the trial run. From 10:30 AM to noon, vehicles coming on the national highway were diverted. In the trial run, the aircraft flew at a height of 100 metres without touching the ground, he said.
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"To check out the feasibility of operations from the ELF, IAF fighters and transport aircraft from Southern Air Command successfully carried out overshoots on the strip as part of trials. Presently the ELF is not fully ready for facilitating landing. It would be inaugurated once it is fully ready," the IAF said in a statement.
The 4.1 km long and 33-meter wide concrete airstrip was constructed at a cost of Rs 23.77 crore using the latest German technology to withstand heavy weights as well as high pressure. It was developed by the NHAI at Korisapadu in the district. The Highway stretches will be blocked in case of an emergency and put to use exclusively for landing of aircraft.
The airstrips can be used for strategic purposes as well as during natural calamities for rescue and relief operations. Air Force Station Suryalanka being the nearest IAF air base from the ELF, would facilitate activation of the airstrip in coordination with District Administration and State Police as per requirement.
In 2018, the Centre has decided to develop 11 airstrips on the national highways in different states across the country to operate aircraft when road or rail routes get disrupted during emergencies. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first airstrip among these at Purvanchal Expressway in Uttar Pradesh on November 16, 2021. The airstrips are being set up in Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, and Jammu and Kashmir for emergency landing of the aircrafts during any emergency.
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