The Indian Air Force confirmed on October 28 that it had utilised two C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft to airlift 23 tonnes of National Disaster Response Force relief supplies to Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. The airlift was carried out to strengthen disaster preparedness and enable a timely response to the after-effects of Cyclone Arnab, which had made landfall along the Andhra Pradesh coast earlier that morning . The supplies were handed over to NDRF personnel in Vijayawada for onward distribution to affected districts.
Cyclone Arnab crossed the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts southwest of Yanam between 2 am and 8 am on October 28, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 125–135 kmph and gusts reaching 150 kmph. The India Meteorological Department reported that the cyclone weakened from a "very severe" cyclonic storm to a "severe" one by 8.30 am. The storm remained nearly stationary near Narsapur for several hours after landfall, travelling only about 30 kilometres in the six hours to 11.30 am, before gradually losing strength over land .
The impact across Andhra Pradesh was extensive. According to NDRF Inspector General Narendra Singh Bundela, 714 villages were affected and 30 houses sustained damage. In East Godavari district alone, 93 roads were damaged and approximately 736 trees were uprooted. Kakinada district reported 92 affected habitations with 9,870 people in relief camps. Power infrastructure suffered significant damage, with around 15,000 electric poles uprooted across the state, disrupting electricity supply in affected districts .
From a logistics coordination perspective, the state government had pre-positioned 16 NDRF and 11 SDRF teams across 14 districts before the cyclone made landfall. More than 28,000 people were evacuated from vulnerable and cyclone-hit areas and shifted to rehabilitation centres. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu stated that the government had conducted seven review meetings over three days and coordinated approximately 30,000 field-level officials through teleconferences to manage the response . The early evacuation and pre-positioning of resources were credited with preventing loss of life during the landfall itself, though five deaths were subsequently reported in cyclone-related incidents.
The airlift component of the relief operation addressed a specific logistical challenge: moving critical supplies rapidly to Vijayawada, which serves as a regional hub for relief distribution in the affected coastal belt. Vijayawada airport itself experienced significant disruption, with 17 of 21 scheduled flight services cancelled on October 28 due to the cyclone. Visakhapatnam airport cancelled 38 flights, including international services to and from Bangkok and Abu Dhabi . The C-130J airlift therefore supplemented surface transport at a time when road and air connectivity in the region were both compromised.
On the ground, the National Highways Authority of India mobilised extensive resources to maintain highway connectivity for relief convoys. NHAI deployed 32 route-patrolling vehicles, 31 ambulances, 35 cranes and tow-away vehicles, 47 JCBs, 25 chain saws, 45 dumpers, and 24 Quick Response Teams across the cyclone-affected National Highway stretches between Eluru and Srikakulam districts. Field teams cleared at least 149 fallen trees, including 75 on the Siddhantham–Anakapalli stretch and 74 on North Coastal Andhra stretches, and addressed waterlogging at multiple locations on NH-16 and NH-516C .
The relief logistics operation also involved coordination between the Indian Air Force, NDRF, state disaster management authorities, and district administrations. The 23 tonnes of supplies airlifted to Vijayawada represented a focused injection of relief material into the distribution network, complementing the larger ground-based logistics effort. Chief Minister Naidu directed officials to clear fallen trees blocking roads within two hours and to restore electricity supply as soon as wind conditions permitted, reflecting the priority placed on reopening transport arteries for both relief delivery and the broader restoration of normal economic activity .
The Indian Air Force's involvement in Cyclone Arnab relief operations underscores the role of military airlift in India's disaster response framework, particularly for rapid delivery of supplies to regions where surface access is constrained by the same event that created the need for relief. The C-130J aircraft, operated from their base, provided the payload capacity and short-field performance required to deliver 23 tonnes of supplies to Vijayawada under post-cyclone conditions. The operation formed part of a broader multi-modal logistics response that integrated airlift, road clearance, and ground distribution to address the immediate needs of affected communities across coastal Andhra Pradesh.