IAF's C-17 Globemaster lands near Indo-China border

The Indian Air Force has landed its giant C-17 Globemaster aircraft very close to the border with China. At an elevation of 6200 ft above mean sea level, with a landing surface of only 4200 feet long, a trial landing was carried out by the mighty C-17 Globemaster aircraft on Wednesday, thereby validating its short field landing performance at high altitude. The ALG at Mechuka in the Yargyap river valley of West Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh had been upgraded recently. Situated along the international border, Mechuka was one of the strategic locations during the India-China war in 1962. The Air Force says such high altitude landings help in the faster transfer of men and material in rugged terrain featuring valleys and high mountain ranges that inhibit road connectivity. A series of such landing grounds have been commissioned in Ladakh and Arunachal, some of which, like Mechuka, are just seconds away by air from China.