Supersonic Indian Air Force fighter jets added the extra zing to the inauguration of India’s longest luknow-Agra expressway - 302 km to be precise, near Bangarmau on Monday.
The important yet motley audience present at the function were treated to some mejestic display of airmansip by pilots engineering four Mirage 2000 and four Sukhoi 30 bomber jets making it a unforgetable extravaganza.
The supresonic aerial show was announced by Wing Commander GH Pandey around 1.05 pm as the excited audience waited with bated breath.
First a formation of three Mirage 2000 aircrafts flew past in formation over the expressway leaving the auidence spellbound. The pilots later ‘peeled off’ their planes from the formation flying in different directions only to come back. This time round, each Mirage 2000 jet touched down momentarily in a 100 metres stretch before vanishing into the clouds.
Next came the squadron of Sukhoi 30 bomber jets. The double seater fighters too followed the same flying regimen like the Mirage 2000. For the excited and curious audience seated in a 80 odd metre enclosure, it was a jaw dropping experience as the sonic booms greeted them after the Sukhois flew past the enclosure.
The Sukhois pilots too ‘peeled off’ from the formation, went back and approached the expressway to test its landing worthiness in front of the audience enclousre. But unlike the earlier French bombers, the Russian Sukhois (now being built in India) not only touched down to wow the audience but while taking off, blasted out a smoke burst elicting loud cheers from the crowd.
The flying ability of the fighter pilots could be gauged from the fact that both these aircrafts need a 45 metre wide stretch for landing but on Monday, the pilots did not mind landing their aircrafts in the 33 metre wide expressway stretch between Bangarmau and Ganj Moradabad.
The fighter jets had tested earlier the landing worthiness ofthe expressway a couple of days back too. Today’s air manouevres were a part of the inauguration function. The UP Expessway Development Authority has so planned the mega corridor that a 3.5 km stretch has been specially designed to facilitate landingand take off of fighter jets during national emergencies like war.