23 April 2026·PIB

EMERGENCY LANDING FACILITY (ELF) ACTIVATION AT SULTANPUR ON PURVANCHAL EXPRESSWAY

In this note

1. At a Glance

An Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) is a dedicated airstrip built into a national highway/expressway enabling IAF fighter and transport aircraft to land/take-off when conventional runways are unavailable [1][6].
The IAF activated an ELF on the Purvanchal Expressway, Sultanpur district (UP) on 22 April 2026, by day and night, with a wide fleet mix [1].
UPSC relevance: civil-military fusion, dual-use infrastructure, internal security/defence preparedness, federal cooperation (Centre–State, IAF–UPEIDA) [1][2].

IAF activated the Sultanpur ELF on Purvanchal Expressway on 22 Apr 2026, day + night operations, in presence of Air Marshal B. Manikantan, AOC-in-C, Central Air Command (CAC) and UP Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar [1].
Comes weeks after the Moran (Assam) ELF inauguration (14 Feb 2026) — first ELF in the North-East [3].

Concept of using highways as wartime/disaster airstrips formalised through MoRTH–IAF–NHAI coordination; 28 ELF sites identified pan-India [2][6].
9 Sept 2021 — First purpose-built ELF inaugurated by Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh & Nitin Gadkari on Satta-Gandhav stretch, NH-925A, Barmer (Rajasthan) [5].
Earlier IAF landing trials had occurred on the Lucknow-Agra Expressway (near Bangarmau, Unnao) [2].
18 March 2024 — ELF activated on NH-16 near Addanki, Bapatla district (Andhra Pradesh) [4].
14 February 2026 — ELF activated on Moran bypass, Dibrugarh (Assam) — first in North-East [3].
22 April 2026 — Sultanpur ELF on Purvanchal Expressway activated [1].

Length of Sultanpur airstrip: 3.2 km [1].
Location: Sultanpur district, Uttar Pradesh, on the Purvanchal Expressway [1].
Implementing/parent ministry: Ministry of Defence (Indian Air Force) in partnership with Ministry of Road Transport & Highways / NHAI, and at state level Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) [1][6].
Aircraft demonstrated at Sultanpur: Jaguar, Mirage-2000, Su-30 MKI, C-295, AN-32, Mi-17 V5 helicopter, Garud Commando team [1].
Air Command involved: Central Air Command (CAC) [1].
Total ELFs identified pan-India: 28 [2].

Strategic / Defence

ELFs act as force multipliers during war, when primary airbases may be degraded by enemy strikes, providing dispersed operating capability [1][6].
Night activation at Sultanpur signals all-weather, round-the-clock readiness of IAF [1].
Diverse fleet (fighters + transports + helicopters + Garud) validates multi-role contingency including SHBO (Special Heliborne Ops) and casualty evacuation [1].

Administrative / Federal

Tri-party collaboration: IAF (Centre) + UPEIDA (State) + civil district administration, illustrating cooperative federalism in dual-use infra [1].
MoRTH/NHAI standardises highway design for short-take-off/landing while expressway authorities (UPEIDA, etc.) maintain it [6].

Economic / Infrastructure

Dual-use: civilian expressway throughput + military stand-by capability without separate land acquisition cost [6].
Purvanchal Expressway (340.8 km, inaugurated 16 Nov 2021 by PM) was designed with this ELF segment from inception [7].

Disaster Management

ELFs usable for HADR (Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief) — landing relief aircraft/helicopters when conventional airports are damaged [1][3].

18 Mar 2024 — ELF on NH-16 Addanki, AP activated [4].
14 Feb 2026 — Moran ELF (Assam) activated, first in NE [3].
22 Apr 2026 — Sultanpur ELF on Purvanchal Expressway activated, day + night [1].

ELF on Purvanchal Expressway activated on 22 April 2026 in Sultanpur district [1].
Airstrip length: 3.2 km [1].
Aircraft used at Sultanpur included Jaguar, Mirage-2000, Su-30 MKI, C-295, AN-32, Mi-17 V5 [1].
Garud is the special-forces unit of the IAF (participated at Sultanpur) [1].
C-295 is a medium transport aircraft inducted by IAF (HAL–Tata/Airbus) [1].
AOC-in-C present: Central Air Command [1].
State agency partnering IAF: UPEIDA [1].
First Indian ELF inaugurated 9 Sept 2021 at Satta-Gandhav (NH-925A) in Barmer, Rajasthan [5].
First North-East ELF: Moran bypass, Dibrugarh, Assam, 14 Feb 2026 [3].
IAF has identified 28 ELFs across India [2].
ELF on NH-16 near Addanki is in Bapatla district, Andhra Pradesh (18 Mar 2024) [4].
Purvanchal Expressway was inaugurated by PM on 16 Nov 2021 [7].

GS-III: Security – role of dual-use infrastructure in defence preparedness; internal security / disaster management.
GS-II: Governance – Centre-State coordination (IAF + UPEIDA + MoRTH).
Likely stems: 1. "Dual-use highway infrastructure such as Emergency Landing Facilities is reshaping India's defence posture. Discuss." (GS-III) 2. "Examine the role of cooperative federalism in operationalising strategic infrastructure, with reference to Emergency Landing Facilities on national expressways." (GS-II) 3. "How do Emergency Landing Facilities augment India's disaster response and air-power resilience?" (GS-III)

Bharatmala Pariyojana — broader highway expansion framework enabling ELFs.
PM Gati Shakti — integrated infrastructure planning includes defence logistics.
Theatre Commands & IAF restructuring — context for dispersed airbase doctrine.
C-295 induction programme — Vadodara final assembly line, Tata-Airbus.
Garud Commando Force — IAF SF; complements NSG/MARCOS/Para SF.
UPEIDA & UP expressways (Purvanchal, Bundelkhand, Ganga Expressway) — state-level infra agency model.
HADR operations of IAF — Op Brahma, Op Dost — civilian use of military air assets.

Sultanpur ELF is on Purvanchal Expressway, not Lucknow-Agra Expressway (which had earlier landing trials) [1][2].
First ELF on a highway was at Barmer (NH-925A) in 2021, not on an expressway in UP [5].
C-295 ≠ C-17 Globemaster or C-130J Super Hercules — easy MCQ trap [1].
ELFs are implemented jointly by IAF + MoRTH/NHAI (plus state agencies like UPEIDA); not by AAI or MoCA [1][6].
Garud is IAF special force; do not confuse with MARCOS (Navy) or Para SF (Army) [1].
Moran ELF (Feb 2026) is the first in NE, not the first in India [3].