vera_k wrote: ↑16 Mar 2024 00:39
vsunder wrote: ↑11 Mar 2024 04:24
Pune is a civilian enclave inside IAF station Lohegaon, just like Prayagraj is a civilian enclave inside IAF station Bamrauli, another dump that I flew through in 2015 and is being refurbished in preparation for Kumbh Mela in January 2025. Bamrauli is HQ of Central Command which will play an important role as 18 Corps is being raised. For Pune there is talk of a greenfield airport.
Are there proposals to relocate the IAF stations away from these cities? Would think its one of the learnings seeing how Lviv was bombed during the current Russia-Ukraine war.
In fact there are a large number of airfields which are operated by the IAF which have civilian enclaves inside. Most of you are "batchas" who know very little of IAF history and have not seen the wars of 1961(Goa), 1962, 1965, 1971 etc and in all these I was next to major airbases and some of these airfields with civilian enclaves got bombed. Let me give you a partial list right here from the top of my head:
1. Delhi, Palam, 1st Sikhs airlift to save the Kashmir valley in 1948 was from Palam.
2. Kanpur, first an operational airbase, then went to 1 BRD(Base Repair Depot) and now HAL, two runways and only one used for civilian operations. Just got a spanking new and very big terminal building. Was a hut in the old days. 1 BRD moved to Nagpur after the panga between RM YB Chavan and AVM Harjinder Singh of Maintenance command.
3. Leh, civilian flights from Delhi etc go there in the early morning as the air is denser esp. important for lift off in the thin air at that altitude.
4. Bamrauli, IAF Central command airport for Prayagraj. Getting a new terminal soon big and bada one.
5. Adampur, Jalandhar, famous IAF station, just got a new terminal.
6. Srinagar, of NJS Sekhon fame. Civilian airport serving Srinagar.
7. Jodhpur a very big base under western command. Always fun to land there. See lots of camouflage and dummy planes strewn around.
8. Gwalior, IAF Maharajpur, home of TACDE, brand new terminal just inaugurated Rajmata Scindia airport.
9. Pathankot, a very famous base of Western command.
10. Amritsar, Raj Sansi airport, now functions as a FBSU of the IAF, was hit several times in 1965 and 1971 when it was a an important IAF station.
11. Jamnagar, another very famous IAF station, scene of BB Soni shooting down a F-104 with a Mig 21 in 1971, the first time of a supersonic vs supersonic combat over the subcontinent. Station commander was the late great Peter M. Wilson of Badin fame in 1965.
12. IAF station Lohegaon, Pune was home of 22 squadron the Lightnings for many years, brand new terminal just inaugurated.
13. IAF station Bhuj, civilian enclave.
14. IAF station Bagdogra, civilian enclave. Very important airfield in Eastern command and very important to go to Siliguri and Darjeeling by air.
15. The baap of Eastern command, Shillong, HQ Eastern command of IAF.
16. IAF station Vadodara, customs and civilian airport. Home to IAF 33 wing.
17. IAF Jorhat, and Jorhat airport.
18. And let us not forget, IAF station Jaisalmer, of Longewala fame, and the civilian enclave Jaisalmer airport. Lots of tourists fly out to Jaisalmer
19. IAF station Dum Dum, Kolkata.
20. IAF station Gorakhpur, civilian enclave.
Can go on and on like this. NO there will not be an attempt to move the civilian enclave out from the IAF controlled airfields.