IAF conducts flypast on the Ganga Expressway in UP amid India-Pakistan tensions after Pahalgam attack

NEW DELHI: The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Friday conducted a major flypast and landing drill on the Ganga Expressway in Uttar Pradesh. The high-profile exercise, involving fighter jets and transport aircraft, was aimed at testing the expressway’s capability to serve as an alternative runway during emergencies or wartime. This came amid rising tensions with Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack.
The Ganga Expressway stands out as the first in India to support both day and night landings of fighter jets. Previously, similar exercises on the Lucknow-Agra and Purvanchal expressways occurred only during daylight.

Locals and students gathered to witness the flight demonstrations, which included various IAF aircraft such as Rafale, SU-30 MKI, Mirage-2000, and more. The drills test low fly-pasts, landings, and take-offs under all lighting conditions.
This move by the IAF comes just days after terrorists killed 26, mostly tourists, in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam region on April 22. In the aftermath, India’s military forces have gone into high alert mode, not just on land but across sea and air domains.
The Indian Navy has also significantly ramped up its activity in the Arabian Sea. Multiple warships have conducted successful anti-ship missile firings to demonstrate long-range strike capabilities.
Earlier, INS Surat, the newest guided missile destroyer in the Navy's fleet, successfully tested the Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MR-SAM) system. Jointly developed with Israel, the system is capable of neutralising aerial threats up to 70 kilometres away. The destroyer, equipped with cutting-edge radar and AI systems, was commissioned earlier this year and marks a leap in India’s maritime defence strength.
The Indian Coast Guard has deployed vessels near the maritime boundary off Gujarat, coordinating closely with the Navy to boost surveillance efforts, as per ANI.
"The Indian Coast Guard has also deployed vessels in forward areas near the international maritime boundary off the Gujarat coast. It is working in close coordination with the Navy to enhance surveillance," the defence sources told news agency ANI.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed swift and strong action in response to the Pahalgam killings, pledging that the perpetrators “would be punished in a way they never imagined”. The National Investigation Agency has now taken over the case to trace the full extent of the terror plot.