LUCKNOW, May 3 -- Uttar Pradesh made history on Friday by becoming the first state in the country to have the night landing facility for fighter jets on an expressway. The milestone was reached when the Indian Air Force (IAF) jets touched down and took off on the 3.5-km stretch of the Ganga Expressway near Piru village under Jalalabad tehsil in Shahjahanpur. The exercise was conducted in two phases - during the day and at night from 9pm to 10pm- to test the airstrip's night-landing capabilities, according to the UP government. Tactical manoeuvres of fighter jets thrilled the audience. Indian Air Force fighters Rafale, Sukhoi-30 MKI, Mig-29, Mirage-2000, Jaguar and AN-32, C-130J Super Hercules and MI-17 helicopters, among other aircraft, performed powerful aerial demonstrations. "Uttar Pradesh has become the first state in the country to have night landing facility for fighter jets on an expressway," the state government said. The air show was organised to assess the expressway's potential as an alternative runway during times of war or national emergencies. Children from various schools of the district and villagers from nearby areas were present in large numbers. The exercise holds much significance in the wake of heightened tension between India and Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22. IAF fighter jets also performed low fly-pasts at an altitude of just one metre. The state government has taken all required steps for the security of the airstrip by installing around 250 CCTV cameras on both sides. The Ganga Expressway is the fourth expressway in the state that has an airstrip for fighter jets of the Indian Air force. The three other airstrips are at Agra-Lucknow Expressway in Unnao, the Purvanchal Expressway in Sultanpur, and the Bundelkhand Expressway near Etawah. These strategically located airstrips serve as alternative runways for the Indian Air Force during wartime or emergencies. But the Ganga Expressway is the first in UP and across the country that has a night-landing facility. According to the state government, the Ganga Expressway will be operational by November 2025. Uttar Pradesh finance minister Suresh Kumar Khanna was the chief guest. Chief secretary Manoj Kumar Singh was also present. Union minister of state for commerce and industry Jitin Prasad and Uttar Pradesh minister of state for cooperation J.P.S. Rathore were among the other dignitaries in attendance....