IAF's C-17 Globemaster Transport Aircraft Carries Out Historic Landing Near the China Border in Arunachal Pradesh

Arunachal Pradesh, March 14: C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) carried out a historic landing at Tuting Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) near the China border in Arunachal Pradesh on Tuesday. The flight crew included Group Captain K Rama Rao, Wing Commander Amiya Kant Patnaik, Wing Commander K Trivedi and Squadron Leader L Nayak. The landing ground is located only 30 km from China.

The landing ground is challenging as it is located in the midst of high hills in a narrow valley. The mammoth C17 Globemaster could execute this mission flawlessly owing to its agile maneuverability. After completion of the trial landing, the C17 carried out an operational mission airlifting operation load into the challenging airfield.

The mission carried out today demonstrated C 17 aircraft's operational performance and capability of tactical air mobility of IAF. The landing comes at a time when Indian and Chinese military forces faced off each other for 72 days at Doklam in Bhutan last year. The landing comes after over a year when the Tuting ALG was upgraded on December 30, 2016, with a full-fledged runway along with all the associated facilities. The strategic location of Tuting ALG will make it a launching pad for IAF operations as well as a facilitator to the Administration in the management of border area. The ALG will be used to bring in vital supplies from cities in Assam via fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters besides meeting challenges during natural calamities.