ALGs are expected to enhance the capabilities of the Eastern Air Command.
Key Details
The Indian Air Force re-activated two upgraded Advanced Landing Grounds (ALG) at Ziro and Along in Arunachal Pradesh on Saturday
Enhancing the nation’s rapid airlift capability for forward operations and troop deployment, the Indian Air Force re-activated two upgraded Advanced Landing Grounds (ALG) at Ziro and Along in Arunachal Pradesh on Saturday.
Air Marshal C. Hari Kumar, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Air Command inaugurated the ALG at Ziro and Along.
The capacity build-up will enable operations by some of the new inductions including the C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft.
This will give the ability to rapidly airlift troops in case of hostilities or a standoff.
India has tardily embarked on a major drive to operationalise the ALGs that have not been in use for decades.
In the mid-eighties Vayudoot Airlines had operated from Ziro airfield and the IAF too had operated a flying detachment from for air maintenance. Subsequently the airfield fell out of use.
Following an approval from the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) in June 2009
- The IAF began an ambitious plan to upgrade and operationalise the existing eight ALGs.
- The IAF took over the Ziro airfield from Airport Authority of India (AAI) in August 2010.
The ALGs for upgradation include
- Tuting
- Mechuka
- Along
- Tawang
- Ziro
- Pasighat
- Walong and
- Vijaynagar in Arunachal Pradesh
The outlay plan for the upgradation of ALGs alone is nearly Rs. 1,000 crore.
Three more ALGs
- Mechuka
- Pasighat
- Tuting
are scheduled to be inaugurated in the next three months.
The ALG at Tawang, which was taken up in 2014, is ongoing and is expected to be ready by September this year.
With the inauguration of the ALGs at Ziro and Along, the three ALGs have since got upgraded with:
- paved runway surfaces and other facilities such as
- aprons for ground maneuvering
- Air Traffic Control tower with associated infrastructure including perimeter road and a security wall
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