Barrackpore Air Force Station

Barrackpore Air Force Station
IATA: none ICAO: VEBR
Summary
Airport type	Military
Operator	Indian Air Force
Location	Barrackpore,Kolkata
Elevation  AMSL	18 ft / 5 m
Coordinates	22°46′55″N088°21′33″E / 22.78194°N 88.35917°E / 22.78194; 88.35917
Map
Barrackpore Air Force Station Location in West Bengal Show map of West Bengal Barrackpore Air Force Station Barrackpore Air Force Station (India) Show map of India
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 02/20 6,250 1,893 Asphalt

Barrackpore Air Force Station is an Indian Air Force base located at Barrackpore, Kolkata in the state of West Bengal, India. Barrackpore is one of the oldest stations in the IAF, operating transport units. One of the Mi-17 squadrons is based here.

History

During World War II, the airfield was used as a reconnaissance airfield by the United States Army Air Forces Tenth Air Force, which flew unarmed P-38 Lightning aircraft from the station, equipped with several mapping cameras to gather intelligence on Japanese forces in occupied Burma. Barrackpore was also home to several Spitfire Squadrons in the early 1950s.

In 1963 No. 11 Squadron IAF was located at Barrackpore flying Douglas Dakotas. That year two Dakotas were sent to Bandung (Husein) in Indonesia to carry air and ground crew to pick up Indonesian Air Force de Havilland Vampire fighters which were to be transferred to the IAF. ^[1]

Several Spitfire airframes were salvaged from Barrackpore in the 1970s and 1980s and are currently restored to flying status in the west.

Its ancillary units are 5 Tettra and 3 Tettra and Flying unit is 157 HU.^{[ clarification needed ]}

References

1. Wing Cdr Venu Kondath (Retd), 'Ferrying Vampires from Indonesia' Archived 27 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine , Bharat-Rakshak.com, accessed October 2011

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

• Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN   0-89201-092-4.