Guwahati/Shillong: Indian Air Force (IAF) on Thursday landed its largest transport aircraft, C-17 Globemaster, at the advanced landing ground (ALG) at Mechuka in West Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh. Mechuka is very close to the China border.
At an elevation of 6,200ft above mean sea level, the 4200-ft-long runway is just 29km from the Sino-Indian border. Conventional military cargo aircraft operate from 9000-ft long runways even at sea-level airfields. Defence PRO (Shillong) Group Captain Amit Mahajan said that the trial landing of C-17 validated its short field landing performance even at high altitude and demonstrated IAF's capability to reach out to this remote ALG.
This is a quantum jump from the existing capability of An-32 and C-130J aircraft. "Such airlift capability facilitates critical requirement of transfer of men and material in this rugged terrain of several adjacent river valleys, interspersed by high mountain ranges that inhibit road connectivity," the spokesperson said.
In the event of a disaster in the region, C-17 operations to the remote ALG can enhance speed and quantum of relief efforts.
The road connectivity to Mechuka is hampered by frequent landslides. The nearest air/rail head is in Dibrugarh, about 500km away. Group Captain Mahajan said the IAF will continue to validate airlift operations to the remaining ALGs which are being upgraded in Arunachal Pradesh. This would usher in a new dimension of enhanced disaster response. This would also pave the way for operation of civil flights operating to and from these newly upgraded ALGs that would boost tourism as well as improve connectivity to these remote locations in the northeast.
The crew who were part of this historic landing are Group Captain TR Ravi, Wing Cdr P Sisodia, Wing Cdr AK Patnaik, MWO Tripathi and WO Nirana Ram. The aircraft was received by detachment commander Flt Lt S Dixit at Mechuka.
At an elevation of 6,200ft above mean sea level, the 4200-ft-long runway is just 29km from the Sino-Indian border. Conventional military cargo aircraft operate from 9000-ft long runways even at sea-level airfields. Defence PRO (Shillong) Group Captain Amit Mahajan said that the trial landing of C-17 validated its short field landing performance even at high altitude and demonstrated IAF's capability to reach out to this remote ALG.
This is a quantum jump from the existing capability of An-32 and C-130J aircraft. "Such airlift capability facilitates critical requirement of transfer of men and material in this rugged terrain of several adjacent river valleys, interspersed by high mountain ranges that inhibit road connectivity," the spokesperson said.
In the event of a disaster in the region, C-17 operations to the remote ALG can enhance speed and quantum of relief efforts.
The road connectivity to Mechuka is hampered by frequent landslides. The nearest air/rail head is in Dibrugarh, about 500km away. Group Captain Mahajan said the IAF will continue to validate airlift operations to the remaining ALGs which are being upgraded in Arunachal Pradesh. This would usher in a new dimension of enhanced disaster response. This would also pave the way for operation of civil flights operating to and from these newly upgraded ALGs that would boost tourism as well as improve connectivity to these remote locations in the northeast.
The crew who were part of this historic landing are Group Captain TR Ravi, Wing Cdr P Sisodia, Wing Cdr AK Patnaik, MWO Tripathi and WO Nirana Ram. The aircraft was received by detachment commander Flt Lt S Dixit at Mechuka.