An Indian Air Force’s (IAF) plane will use the national highway in Rajasthan’s Barmer to make a mock emergency landing.
The development has gained significance as two union ministers Rajnath Singh, and Nitin Gadkari, will be on board the IAF aircraft.
With this, the ministers will inaugurate a 3.5 long airstrip built on the National Highway for landing and takeoff of military planes, which is reportedly the first one in the country.
Sources told The Times of India that two such airstrips on national highways had been completed in Andhra Pradesh, and two more are under development, one each in West Bengal and J&K.
Around 28 national highway stretches, particularly near the international border, were identified for developing them as airstrips for emergency landing by fighter aircraft.
An inter-ministerial joint committee with the defence ministry and the IAF was set up by the road transport and highways ministry in 2016 to look into the feasibility of setting up these airstrips.