New Delhi, India: In a major demonstration of operational readiness and tactical agility, the Indian Army successfully conducted a high-stakes highway landing drill using a stretch of National Highway 911 near Dantour in Rajasthan, located roughly 80 kilometers from the India-Pakistan border, the Indian Army’s Additional Directorate General of Public Information said.
According to ADG PI, “the military exercise tested operations from alternative landing sites near the border when regular aviation facilities are unavailable. A designated section of the highway was transformed into a temporary helipad as military helicopters descended on and took off from the tarmac.”
Watch the video of a highway landing exercise near Dantour in Rajasthan, close to the Pakistan border.
The drill featured a formidable lineup of indigenous aircraft, including the advanced Dhruv, the armed Rudra, and versatile Chetak helicopters operating under the Army’s Sapta Shakti Command. During the exercise, pilots practiced precision approaches and rapid departures from a road instead of a traditional airfield, while ground teams seamlessly coordinated logistical movements at the makeshift site.
Retd. Major Mohammad Ali Shah,a former officer of the Assam Rifles told NNP Delhi correspondent “that the timing of the drill coincided with the 10th anniversary of the historic surgical strikes carried out by the Indian Army across the Line of Control on the night of September 28–29, 2016.” Those landmark cross-border operations were launched in response to a tragic terrorist attack on an Army base in Uri that claimed the lives of 19 Indian soldiers.
Ali shah highlighted that Dantour’s location in the expansive western desert terrain of Rajasthan presented an ideal testing ground for such maneuvers. Because distances are vast and conventional aviation infrastructure is sparse in this frontier region, practicing highway landings ensures that troops can maintain rapid deployment, logistics, and casualty evacuation capabilities even if traditional airbases are compromised or inaccessible.
The aircraft deployed during the exercise underscore India’s growing defense self-reliance. The Dhruv is a twin-engine Advanced Light Helicopter entirely designed and developed domestically by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
Watch the video of crew members and pilots walk proudly past the armed helicopters during landing and taking off from a stretch of NH-911.
Its robust sibling, the Rudra, serves as its armed variant tailored for critical combat roles including reconnaissance, escort, and tactical fire support. Meanwhile, the trusted Chetak is also manufactured by HAL based on the classic French Alouette III design – continues to serve as a reliable workhorse built under license in India.
Ali shah “emphasized that exercises of this nature reaffirm the armed forces’ constant preparedness to safeguard the nation’s borders under any circumstances, seamlessly blending strategic mobility with frontline readiness.”
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