Ahead of IAF exercice, Lucknow-Agra Expressway to remain closed for traffic today

Lucknow: A patch of Lucknow-Agra Expressway will be closed for traffic on Monday, a day ahead Indian Air Force (IAF) planes take part in an exercise to use the highway as landing strip on October 24.

The stretch near Bangarmau in Unnao district, around 65 km from Uttar Pradesh's capital will be closed for vehicular movement.

The drill - conducted by the IAF in collaboration with the Uttar Pradesh Government - will see participation from a C130 with Garud commnados for assault landing as well as three Jaguars, six Mirages (in two batches of three each), six SU 30s (in two batches of three each) in touch down and take off operation. The C130 will once again touch down to complete the operation.

Earlier, an IAF Mirage 2000 fighter plane had successfully landed on the Yamuna Expressway on May 21, 2015.

The 302-km highway has a 3-km stretch which has been designed as per IAF's standards for emergency landings.

The Expressway is crucial because of its proximity to the national capital.