Indian Air Force to convert Agra-Lucknow Expressway into India's first road runway: Reports

[Odysseus]

Indian Air Force will have their first ever road runway as Agra-Lucknow expressway inUttar Pradesh is being considered to be turned into an airstrip.Such road runways are important in case the regular airbases are rendered dysfunctional during hostilities. Indian Air Force will bear the cost of the project.An officer in the UP secretariat told toHindustan Times that a delegation of officers from Air Force Station Bakshi Ka Talab in Lucknow will meet Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav on Monday to finalise the deal.The Agra-Lucknow expressway is the longest greenfield expressway in the country. The IAF and UP state government officers will work together to select a three kilometre segment to turninto an airstrip.To convert the stretch of expressway in to a runway, a few specifics are needed to be considered - The segment needs to be straight, levelled and located on non-undulating ground without slope.It should not have electricity poles, masts, or mobile phone towersPortable ground lighting systems will guide aircrafts during landings.

 

[Optimos Prime IA]

Well thought strategy . Hoping for more such runways throughout our country. Especially in Andaman and N

 

[The_Sidewinder]

Such kind of projects must be kept confidential. Its kind of a open invitation to adverseries. If you have bombed our Plan A ( Airfield Runways) than also bomb our plan B ( Road Runways) too.

 

[Arsalan]

Indian Air Force will have their first ever road runway as Agra-Lucknow expressway inUttar Pradesh is being considered to be turned into an airstrip.Such road runways are important in case the regular airbases are rendered dysfunctional during hostilities. Indian Air Force will bear the cost of the project.An officer in the UP secretariat told toHindustan Times that a delegation of officers from Air Force Station Bakshi Ka Talab in Lucknow will meet Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav on Monday to finalise the deal.The Agra-Lucknow expressway is the longest greenfield expressway in the country. The IAF and UP state government officers will work together to select a three kilometre segment to turninto an airstrip.To convert the stretch of expressway in to a runway, a few specifics are needed to be considered - The segment needs to be straight, levelled and located on non-undulating ground without slope.It should not have electricity poles, masts, or mobile phone towersPortable ground lighting systems will guide aircrafts during landings.

India's first???
Can anyone please help me and tell if there is not road patch that is or can be used as a runway for fighter jets and have tried and tested that???

 

[manojb]

India's first???
Can anyone please help me and tell if there is not road patch that is or can be used as a runway for fighter jets and have tried and tested that???

we are not surprised! but even then there will be Foreign object debris (FOD) of size of a cow

 

[Abingdonboy]

India's first???
Can anyone please help me and tell if there is not road patch that is or can be used as a runway for fighter jets and have tried and tested that???

Unlike smaller nations India has ample territorial depth and thus has not thought it necessary to develop such capabilities to date. There are still plenty of airbases in central India (and is building more in the South) and the Su-30MKI has the range to fly from any base in India to any border without requiring refuelling.

Well thought strategy . Hoping for more such runways throughout our country. Especially in Andaman and N

Andaman and Nicobar?

a) how many highways are there on those islands?
b) the threat to the airbases on this islands being taken out are next to nil
c) if required IAF fighters deployed in the South/East of India can be over the islands in a matter of hours, an IN aircraft carrier can be there within a day or so.


There is no need to develop such capabilities on the islands .

 

[holysaturn]

Its easier to shoot them on the ground, or keep them on the ground.

Thats why an aircraft that can penetrate air defenses (un-detected would be best) and destroy airfields is so important. Especially in first strike. Guided missiles might do the job well enough.

In planned war or later stages of any war, aircraft will be scattered to remote airfields and thats usually a lot of airfields to target effectively. Regardless eliminating main bases will greatly hamper any airforce, for various reasons.
The Russians have made their Su-27 and Mig-29 have filters to prevent FOB damage to the engines.Main airfields are not going to last very long. Even remote ones may not last long.

• .

 

[Abingdonboy]

The Russians have made their Su-27 and Mig-29 have filters to prevent FOB damage to the engines.Main airfields are not going to last very long. Even remote ones may not last long.

The MiG-29s (not Ks though) but not the Su-27s AFAIK.

 

[Optimos Prime IA]

Unlike smaller nations India has ample territorial depth and thus has not thought it necessary to develop such capabilities to date. There are still plenty of airbases in central India (and is building more in the South) and the Su-30MKI has the range to fly from any base in India to any border without requiring refuelling.


Andaman and Nicobar?

a) how many highways are there on those islands?
b) the threat to the airbases on this islands being taken out are next to nil
c) if required IAF fighters deployed in the South/East of India can be over the islands in a matter of hours, an IN aircraft carrier can be there within a day or so.


There is no need to develop such capabilities on the islands .

Am not aware of A/N road systems all am saying is its better to have runway roads so AN won't be handicapped . May I know how you are so sure that attack of Airbase is less or NIL? Am sure by now lots of missiles aimed at A/N bases which is most important location to confront China . And am really hopeful of F35B placed in Andaman to deter Chinese aircrafts confronting our Navy fleet . Even thou we van dispatch jets from South with AN fleet we can confront PLAF and PLAN airwing most efficiently .While our Carrier jets taking care of PLAN .

 

[holysaturn]

The MiG-29s (not Ks though) but not the Su-27s AFAIK.

Not all SU-27s do but Russian Su's do

 

[Indus Pakistan]

Pakistan Airforce has had this facility for nearly 20 years now. I know PAF uses sections of M2 Motorway

M2 motorway (Pakistan) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Optimos Prime IA]

Such kind of projects must be kept confidential. Its kind of a open invitation to adverseries. If you have bombed our Plan A ( Airfield Runways) than also bomb our plan B ( Road Runways) too.

Its more like having more options .These Runway roads are built in such a way these roads can be repaired faster. These are in use in many countries like US RUSSIA Korea Vietnam Japan etc. Some say it other don't . Even in this case there might be many other such plans which won't see the light (Just saying)

 

[holysaturn]

Pakistan Airforce has had this facility for nearly 20 years now. I know PAF uses sections of M2 Motorway

M2 motorway (Pakistan) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has used the M2 motorway as a runway on two occasions: for the first time in 2000 when it landed an F-7P fighter"
Your math is wrong.Pakistan did so because in a full scale war it highly likely for pakistan to lose all its air bases before india does so it is imperative for them to have such a capability.

 

[Abingdonboy]

Pakistan Airforce has had this facility for nearly 20 years now. I know PAF uses sections of M2 Motorway

M2 motorway (Pakistan) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pakistan has needed to develop this capability because of the lack of depth that it possesses, India has no such issues and thus has not developed such capabilities to date.

For Pakistan that was out of necessity, for India it is more of a luxury to have this kind of capability.

 

[Indus Pakistan]

That is obvious. You don't do something for nothing. Pakistan is smaller. We have less airfields thus more reason to have this and when M2 was opened back in 1997 this also was a oppurtunity PAF.