Rafale Touches Down at Assam’s Moran Emergency Landing Facility for the First Time; Debrugarh Witnesses Historic Aerial Display

Debrugarh, Assam, Feb 12, 2026: In a historic first, a Rafale fighter jet of the Indian Air Force (IAF) landed at the Moran Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) in Assam’s Debrugarh district, marking a rare and momentous occasion for the region. Locals flocked to witness the event, which comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to the site on February 14.

The IAF has begun a full-scale rehearsal of touch-and-go operations at the northeast’s first highway-based emergency landing facility. The exercises included advanced aircraft such as Rafale and Sukhoi-30 fighter jets, indigenous Tejas jets, Hercules transporters, and Antonov AN-32 planes performing take-offs and landings on the specially constructed 4.2-kilometre highway runway at Moran. Hundreds of spectators, including students and local residents, gathered along the runway to watch the jets roar across the sky, cheering as the planes landed and took off one after another.

The ongoing exercises, which began on February 12 and will continue until February 13, are part of final preparations for Prime Minister Modi’s visit. During the visit, he will formally inaugurate the facility and witness a grand aerial display by the Indian Air Force.

Assam Chief Secretary Ravi Kota, who inspected the facility last week, encouraged locals to attend the rehearsal, calling it “a historic and rare experience” for the region. He urged students and community members to witness the exercises and the main event, describing it as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

The Moran Emergency Landing Facility is a strategic milestone for the Indian Air Force, providing an alternative runway for military aircraft during emergencies or wartime when conventional airports may be unavailable or compromised. On February 14, the Prime Minister’s aircraft will land directly on the highway runway, making history as the first time a sitting Prime Minister will touch down on a highway landing strip in the northeast.

To ensure smooth operations, traffic on NH-127 has been diverted via the old NH-37 route through Moran town from February 6 to 14. Debrugarh District Commissioner Bikram Kerry and Senior Superintendent of Police Abhijeet Gurav are coordinating with IAF officials to manage both the rehearsal and the main event efficiently.