On 21 November, eight fighter jets of the Indian Air Force (IAF) touched down on the Agra-Lucknow expressway, marking the inauguration of the nation's longest highway in Uttar Pradesh.
The 302 km-long Agra-Lucknow Expressway at Unnao, around 50km from Lucknow, will be formally inaugurated by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.
#WATCH Unnao: IAF Mirage 2000 jets touch down on Agra-Lucknow expressway pic.twitter.com/xiZtjzZzHy
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) November 21, 2016
The expressway, which was completed within 23 months, is expected to reduce travel time between Delhi Lucknow, bringing it down to five hours.
In a first for any road launch, four Sukhoi jets were flown in from Bareilly while four Mirage 2000s were brought in from Gwalior to skim the six-lane highway in simulated landings, reported NDTV.
The state government has also reportedly hired an eight-camera set-up to shoot the event, ahead of the impending Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.