Photo: Bapatla Police/X
Bapatla: Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter and transport aircraft carried out operations on an Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) airstrip on National Highway 16 near Addanki in Bapatla district of Andhra Pradesh on March 18, 2024, the Defence Ministry stated today.
Su-30 and Hawk fighters successfully carried out overshoots during the activation, while An-32 and Dornier transport aircraft landed and subsequently took off from the strip. The activation showcased the high level of synergy and liaison between civil agencies such as the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), district administration, state police and the IAF towards the conduct of complex multifaceted activities.
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On 18 March 2024, @IAF_MCC fighter & transport aircraft carried out operations on an Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) airstrip on National Highway 16 near Addanki in Bapatla district. @EAC_IAF pic.twitter.com/bHytRC21Rw— PRO Shillong, Ministry of Defence (@proshillong) March 19, 2024
Previously, such an activation was conducted on December 29, 2022. The 4.1 km long and 33 metre wide concrete airstrip has been constructed by the NHAI as per specifications provided by the IAF. While other airstrips are already operational in various parts of the country, this ELF in Andra Pradesh has been recently operationalised in peninsular India.
ELF highway airstrips enhance the flexibility of air operations during contingencies and are invaluable assets during Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations in far-flung areas. IAF, with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) are working jointly for the creation of ELFs at suitable locations, the Defence Ministry stated.
– global bihari bureau
