An Airbus C295 aircraft landed on the Purvanchal Expressway in Sultanpur as the Indian Air Force carried out takeoff and landing drills to test operational readiness during wartime. Video footage showed the exercise being conducted to assess the expressway’s viability as an alternative runway during times of war or national emergencies.Fighter jets of the IAF also carried out a flypast over the airstrip on the Purvanchal Expressway in Sultanpur as part of an Emergency Landing Field activation exercise.The Airbus C295 can carry up to eight tonnes of payload or around 70 troops and has a maximum cruise speed of 260 knots. It can also be configured for air-to-air refuelling of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.The aircraft has retractable landing gear and a 12.69-metre pressurised cabin, and can operate at altitudes of up to 30,000 feet. It is capable of short take-off and landing from unpaved, soft and grass airstrips.It is powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127G turboprop engines, allowing operations of up to 13 hours. The engine model has been used on more than 6,000 aircraft and has logged over 160 million flight hours.The Airbus C295 now includes winglets, which improve performance across different phases of flight, including take-off from high-altitude airfields, higher cruising levels and longer endurance. The changes also reduce fuel consumption by about three to six percent.The Airbus C295 is used for humanitarian and non-military roles, including disaster relief, search and rescue (SAR), and surveillance operations such as monitoring illegal immigration, drug smuggling, piracy and deforestation. It is also used for marine pollution control.With short take-off and landing capability and the ability to operate from unprepared airstrips, the aircraft is used for resupply missions in remote areas.
