Article Posted on : - Apr 03, 2010

PAF's Mirage-V and F-7 PG aircraft took flight operations from highway.

ISLAMABAD (PTI): The Pakistan Air Force validated its concept of conducting fighter operations from highways when two combat aircraft landed and took off from the Islamabad-Lahore motorway for an air operation.

"The PAF has validated its concept of fighter operations from the countrywide network of motorways and national highways from Peshawar to Karachi," air force spokesman Air Commodore Tariq Yazdani told reporters Friday.

The drill was part of the ongoing High Mark 2010 air exercise.

After landing on the motorway, the Mirage-V and F-7 PG aircraft refuelled, rearmed and re-launched for an air operation.

Both aircraft were flying at a speed of around 300 miles an hour when they touched down on the motorway.

The drill was witnessed by a large number of senior PAF officers and officials of various civil and military departments.

The army and navy are participating with the PAF in the exercise, which is aimed at developing integration and joint preparedness.

The air force has fielded almost all its assets for the wargame, especially aircraft that were recently inducted in its inventory, including the Saab-2000 early warning and control system and Il-78 air-to-air refueling aircraft.

The exercise focuses on dealing with threats from traditional rivals and a "potential unconventional enemy", said PAF chief Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman.