Guwahati, Feb 14 :
In a historic first, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday landed at the Northeast’s first the Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) in Assam’s Dibrugarh district.
PM Modi arrived at Chabua and boarded a C-130J aircraft from the airfield. He then landed at the ELF on a stretch of National Highway-37 for its inauguration. The specially designed 4.2-km reinforced stretch has been developed to enable Indian Air Force fighter jets to take off and land during emergencies.
Officials said the Rs 100-crore ELF will act as a strategic and multi-functional runway for IAF fighter jets and transport aircraft, strengthening defence, logistics and disaster response.
The facility, they said, is designed for both civil and military use, serving as an alternative to the Dibrugarh airport in case of emergency. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Air Chief Marshal A P Singh were also present on the occasion.
After the inauguration, the Prime Minister also witnessed an aerial show featuring IAF’s fighter jets and transport helicopters, engaged for urgent security situations and disaster responses, at the ELF. In the 20-minute aerial show, the IAF pilots displayed precision take-off and landing on the Moran Bypass, as locals lined up behind barricades to get a glimpse of the event.
A Sukhoi-30 MKI was the first aircraft to take-off from the ELF, followed by a Rafale aircraft. Taking off with a short run-up, both jets are capable of being combat-ready within seconds of being in air. The An-32 helicopter, dubbed the ‘workhorse’ of the IAF and designed for both cargo and passengers, performed a ‘touch and go’.
A three-jet formation of Sukhoi-30 MKI was the next to fly over the Moran sky, with the pilots displaying difficult manoeuvres, as two of the aircraft performed overshoot on the airstrip while the third landed at the ELF, marking the first touch down after formal inauguration. A similar manoeuvre was performed by a set of three Rafale jets, with two of the aircraft flying close to the airstrip, while the third making a landing.
Special Heli-Borne Operations (SHBO) and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) by Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), crucial for surveillance, search and rescue, medical evacuation and food airdrops in inaccessible and remote areas, were performed by the indigenously-developed copters.
As per the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the landing facility will act as a strategic and multi-functional runway for IAF fighter jets and transport aircraft.
Notably, India’s first ELF was inaugurated in 2021 in Rajasthan’s Barmer district. Envisioned as dual-use infrastructure, the ELF is capable of handling fighter aircraft up to 40 tonnes and transport aircraft up to 74 tonnes maximum take-off weight.
