What Happened
- The northeast's first Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) was inaugurated at Moran in Assam's Dibrugarh district on 14 February 2026, with a historic landing aboard a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft.
- The ELF is a 4.2-kilometre reinforced stretch on National Highway-127 (Moran Bypass), developed at a cost of approximately Rs 100 crore.
- Advanced fighter and transport aircraft — including Sukhoi-30 MKI, Rafale, indigenous Tejas, C-130J Hercules, and AN-32 — performed landing and take-off manoeuvres on the highway strip.
- The facility can handle fighter aircraft weighing up to 40 tonnes and transport aircraft with a maximum take-off weight of 74 tonnes.
- The location is approximately 300 km from the China border (LAC) and about 200 km from the Myanmar border, giving it strategic dual-frontier significance.
Static Topic Bridges
Emergency Landing Facilities (ELFs) — Dual-Use Highway Infrastructure
Emergency Landing Facilities are specially reinforced sections of national highways designed to function as temporary airstrips for military aircraft during emergencies or wartime contingencies. Developed jointly by the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, they represent a civil-military integration model where highway infrastructure doubles as strategic air assets. India's first ELF was inaugurated on NH-925A in Barmer, Rajasthan in 2021.
- 28 ELF sites identified by the Indian Air Force across 11 states and union territories — 11 in the western theatre, 9 in the east, 5 in south India, and 3 in the central sector
- Assam has the highest number of designated ELFs (5), followed by West Bengal (4), and Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, and Rajasthan (3 each)
- ELFs are built with high-strength concrete to withstand repeated heavy aircraft operations
- They support rapid deployment, refuelling, rearming, troop movement, supply drops, and emergency evacuations
Connection to this news: The Moran ELF is the first operational highway airstrip in the northeast, extending the ELF network to India's strategically sensitive eastern frontier, where proximity to both the LAC with China and the Myanmar border makes dispersed air assets critical for defence preparedness.
Bharatmala Pariyojana and Northeast Highway Connectivity
Bharatmala Pariyojana, launched in 2017, is India's largest highway development programme targeting 34,800 km of national highway corridors connecting 580+ districts. A dedicated component focuses on northeast connectivity, including the North East Economic Corridor linking 7 state capitals and 7 multimodal waterway terminals on the Brahmaputra. The programme aligns with the Act East Policy, integrating the northeast with Southeast Asia through projects like the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway.
- Total investment: approximately Rs 5.35 lakh crore for Phase I
- Components: Economic Corridors, Inter-Corridors, Feeder Routes, Border and International Connectivity Roads, Coastal and Port Connectivity Roads, Greenfield Expressways
- A Multi-Modal Logistics Park (MMLP) is under construction at Jogighopa, Assam, to serve as the distribution hub for all northeastern states and facilitate cross-border trade with Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal
- Nearly 50% of Phase I completed as of March 2024; expected completion by 2027-28
Connection to this news: The Moran highway airstrip, built on a national highway stretch, exemplifies the dual-use infrastructure philosophy embedded in Bharatmala — where highways serve both civilian connectivity and strategic military purposes in the northeast.
C-130J Super Hercules — IAF's Tactical Airlift Workhorse
The C-130J Super Hercules, manufactured by Lockheed Martin (USA), is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft operated by the Indian Air Force for tactical airlift, special operations, and humanitarian missions. India ordered 6 aircraft in 2008 (delivered 2010-11) and an additional 6 in 2013 (delivered 2017), for a total fleet of 12. The aircraft is specifically designed for operations from short and unprepared airstrips.
- Maximum take-off weight: approximately 74 tonnes
- Range: approximately 3,300 km with a payload of 18 tonnes
- Operated by No. 77 Squadron and No. 87 Squadron of the IAF, based at Hindon Air Force Station
- Capable of landing on unprepared surfaces, dirt strips, and highway ELFs
- Used extensively for disaster relief operations (Uttarakhand 2013, Nepal 2015, Kerala 2018)
Connection to this news: The C-130J was chosen for the inaugural landing at the Moran ELF, demonstrating the facility's capability to handle tactical transport aircraft — a critical requirement for rapid force deployment in the northeast.
Key Facts & Data
- Moran ELF location: Dibrugarh district, Assam, on NH-127 (Moran Bypass)
- ELF length: 4.2 km reinforced highway stretch
- Cost: approximately Rs 100 crore
- Aircraft capacity: fighters up to 40 tonnes, transport aircraft up to 74 tonnes
- Distance from LAC (China border): approximately 300 km
- Distance from Myanmar border: approximately 200 km
- Total ELF sites identified nationally: 28 across 11 states/UTs
- India's first ELF: NH-925A, Barmer, Rajasthan (2021)
- Bharatmala Pariyojana Phase I target: 34,800 km of national highways