C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force’s, on Tuesday carried out a historic landing at Arunachal Pradesh’s Tuting Advanced Landing Ground (ALG), which is close to the Chinese border.

According to The Indian Express, the landing of the aircraft is seen as part of the IAF’s move to strengthen its overall operations in the strategically important border state. Arunachal Pradesh is a disputed part of the Sino-Indian border. The landing ground is only 30 km from China. After the trial landing, the mammoth C-17 carried out an operational mission, airlifting 18 tonnes of load into the airfield.

“The C-17 Globemaster carried out a historic landing at Tuting Advanced Landing Ground. The mission was executed flawlessly owing to its superlative performance and excellent flying skills of pilots,” said an IAF spokesperson. The flight crew included Group Captain K Rama Rao, Wing Commander Amiya Kant Patnaik, Wing Commander K Trivedi and Squadron Leader L Nayak. The landing ground is located only 30 km from China.

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The landing ground is challenging as it is located in the midst of high hills in a narrow valley. The mammoth C-17 Globemaster could execute this mission flawlessly owing to its agile manoeuvrability. After completion of the trial landing, the C-17 carried out an operational mission airlifting operation load into the challenging airfield. The mission carried out on Tuesday demonstrated C-17 aircraft’s operational performance and capability of tactical air mobility of IAF.

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The C-17 is 174 feet long and has a wingspan of about 170 feet (52 m).The size and weight of US mechanized firepower and equipment have grown in recent decades from increased air mobility requirements, particularly for large or heavy non-palletized outsize cargo. The cargo floor has rollers for palletized cargo but it can be flipped to provide a flat floor suitable for vehicles and other rolling stock. The cargo compartment is 88 feet (27 m) long by 18 feet (5.5 m) wide by 12 feet 4 inches (3.76 m) high.