ROAD-RUNWAYS AS FORCE MULTIPLIERS
Geopolitics|February 2023
The drill by the Indian Air Force on a specially designed roadrunway stretch of National Highway-16 in Andhra Pradesh has reaffirmed India's pole position in South Asia's strategic dynamics
AMARTYA SINHA
ROAD-RUNWAYS AS FORCE MULTIPLIERS

On December 29, 2022, The Indian Air Force conducted a tactical trial of the emergency landing facility specially constructed on a highway in Andhra Pradesh. The emergency landing facility (or ELF) has been made on National Highway-16 located in Andhra Pradesh's Bapatla district. Sukhoi30MKI and LCA Tejas fighter jets, and an AN-32 transport plane were part of the trial run. These combat planes flew very close to the ground without an actual landing on the 4.1 km-long emergency facility. The drill was part of the stringent process that would help the officials to ascertain the readiness of the emergency facility. Constructed in Bapatla's Picchikalagudipadu village, the drill saw the warplanes circuiting, approaching and overshooting the ELF. At present, the emergency facility is not fully functional. Once all the criteria are met, the airstrip will be formally inaugurated.

On September 15, 2021 the Taiwan Air Force had also started a similar exercise when F-16 fighter aircrafts took off from rural roads and highways in the country, which also saw the participation of AWACS aircrafts. A war between China and Taiwan is not imminent, but as China has grown increasingly assertive in both the East China and South China Seas, Taiwan has stepped up its defences. China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory, flies fighter bombers toward Taiwan on a regular basis in an effort to bully and intimidate the island nation. Chinese fighter jets, anti-submarine warfare aircraft and combat ships have repeatedly conducted joint assault drills near Taiwan and strategically blackmailed the tiny island with China using the lame excuse that the exercise was necessary to safeguard its sovereignty. The rapidly evolving contemporary tactical warfare scenario has necessitated the execution of highway-landing exercises by both Taiwan and India.

The concept of road-runways

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة February 2023 من Geopolitics.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة February 2023 من Geopolitics.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من GEOPOLITICS مشاهدة الكل
Lessons From Gaza And Lebanon
Geopolitics

Lessons From Gaza And Lebanon

The ongoing war, loosely called the Gaza War, is actually being fought in two different loosely connected segments; against the Hamas with a spill off in the West Bank and East Jerusalem areas against Palestinian factions and against the Hezbollah in Lebanon with a spill off in Syria. Treating Israel-Hamas War and the Lebanon War as separate entities, RAJ MEHTA explains the lessons from these wars

time-read
10+ mins  |
November 2024
POSITIVE STEPS TOWARDS POTENTIAL REGIONAL COOPERATION
Geopolitics

POSITIVE STEPS TOWARDS POTENTIAL REGIONAL COOPERATION

It has been a whirlwind of diplomatic activity for India recently. India participated in both the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation SCO) summit that took place in Islamabad on October 15-16, and the 16th BRICS Summit was held in Kazan, Russia, from October 2224, 2024. These back-to-back summits within a short span of time underscore India's active role in shaping regional and global diplomacy, balancing national interests with multilateral cooperation

time-read
8 mins  |
November 2024
THE EAGLE'S EYE TEJAS MK-II RADAR PIERCES VEIL OF THE SKY
Geopolitics

THE EAGLE'S EYE TEJAS MK-II RADAR PIERCES VEIL OF THE SKY

The Tejas Mk-II, featuring DRDO's GaN-based Uttam AESA radar, marks a major leap in India's defence, enhancing range, precision, and multi-target tracking capabilities, highlights GIRISH LINGANNA

time-read
4 mins  |
November 2024
PRIME MOVER
Geopolitics

PRIME MOVER

The indigenously developed Wheeled Armoured Platform (WhAP) has received a boost with its first export order from the Kingdom of Morocco

time-read
8 mins  |
November 2024
TRANSFORMATIONAL INDUCTION
Geopolitics

TRANSFORMATIONAL INDUCTION

The GA-ASI MQ-9B will dramatically enhance the ISR and precision strike capabilities of the Indian armed forces

time-read
10 mins  |
November 2024
TACAN PRINCIPLES OF OPERATION
Geopolitics

TACAN PRINCIPLES OF OPERATION

Navigation systems have evolved significantly since the Viking era, with Tactical Air Navigation TACAN) now widely used for air and sea travel. Post-World War Il, reliable systems became essential for safety and efficiency, as highlighted by DR. SUJAN KUMAR SARASWATI, in this article on TACAN’s operational principles.

time-read
10 mins  |
November 2024
AIRBORNE TRACKER
Geopolitics

AIRBORNE TRACKER

Indigenous efforts towards AEW&C and AWACS platforms need to be stepped up even as international programmes extend the current state-of-the-art for such aircraft, highlights

time-read
9 mins  |
November 2024
AFFORDABLE LETHALITY THE INDIAN DILEMMA
Geopolitics

AFFORDABLE LETHALITY THE INDIAN DILEMMA

India's defence dilemma is now being complicated by the lessons learnt in the Ukraine and Gaza wars because these conflicts are reshaping the way wars are fought in the modern world.

time-read
10+ mins  |
November 2024
FROM IMPORTS TO SELF-RELIANCE IN ARMS
Geopolitics

FROM IMPORTS TO SELF-RELIANCE IN ARMS

Self-reliance in Defence Production needs new ideas, new definitions _es and an appropriate methodology, argues AMIT COWSHISH

time-read
9 mins  |
November 2024
"THE INDIAN AIR FORCE IS WORKING HARD TO REMAIN A CREDIBLE AIR FORCE"
Geopolitics

"THE INDIAN AIR FORCE IS WORKING HARD TO REMAIN A CREDIBLE AIR FORCE"

Commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on December 21, 1984, Air Chief Marshal AMAR PREET SINGH PVSM AVSM took over as the 28th Air Chief of India on September 30, 2024.

time-read
5 mins  |
November 2024