Chabua Air Force Base
Encyclopedia
Chabua Air Force Station is an Indian Air Force
base located at Chabua
in the state
of Assam
, India
.
Currently used as a training airfield, the MiG-21 (FL) fighters assigned train young fighter pilots, thus, enabling a smooth transition to an operational role in the frontline squadrons of IAF. The unit calls itself ‘the young ones’. Formed in October, 1966 with the motto Abhyasen hi Kaushalayam, the unit has a glorious and chequered history since its establishment. Seven Vir Chakra, a Vayu Sena Medal and five Mention-in-Despatches won by the unit is a testimony to the gallantry of the unit. More recently, the unit has been declared as the `best fighter squadron' of EAC for the current year.
it was a major supply point for the ferrying of supplies to Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek
's forces in and around Kunming, China. This was known as "Flying the Hump".
The Japanese occupation of Burma
in 1942 had cut off the Burma Road
, the last land route by which the Allies could deliver aid to the Chinese Government of Chiang Kai-shek. Until the Burma Road
could be retaken and the Ledo Road
completed, the only supply route available was the costly and dangerous route for transport planes over the Himalayas between India'a Assam Valley and Kunming, China. This route became known as the Himalayan Hump or simply The Hump
.
Operated initially by the United States Army Air Forces
Ferrying Command (Later Air Transport Command
) China Ferrying Command (later ATC India China Wing). The 1st Ferrying (later Transport) Group operated three squadrons of C-47 Skytrain
and C-46 Commando
aircraft from Chabua. The airfield was also an important layover stop of the ATC Karachi
-Kunming
air transport route. Flights operated west to Agra Airport, Willingdon Airfield (New Delhi
), Gaya Airport
, Assam
(Borjhar Airport) and east into Dali Airport
, and Kunming (Wujiaba Airport) in China
While the route kept the transports relatively free from enemy attack (Enemy action destroyed only seven aircraft, killing 13 men) it led over rugged terrain, through violent storms, with snow and ice at the higher altitudes the planes flew over the mountains. Flying the Himalayan Hump would turn out to be some of the most dangerous flying in the world. Over the course of action there were 460 aircraft and 792 men lost. Still, the operations were a success. There were 167,285 trips that moved 740,000 tons of material to support Chinese troops and other Allied forces.
In addition to the ATC transport units, elements of the Tenth Air Force
380th Bombardment Group, 375th Bombardment Squadron
operated B-24 Liberator
s from the airfield, flying long range bombardment missions into Burma, south China
, Thailand
(Bangkok
) and well as French Indochina
(Haiphong
). A total of 8 B-24s were lost. Also the B-24s were used to ferry aircraft fuel into China.
The airfield was abandoned after the war. In 1962, in response to the Chinese invasion of Tibet and the subsequent threat it posed to the North-East, the IAF commenced operations from this airfield. Initially Dakotas and Vampires, later Hunters, Otters and Mi-4 helicopters commenced air operations form Chabua air base. In the mid-seventies, subsequent to the runway upgradation and renovation, the supersonic MiG-21 became the mainstay fighter aircraft operating from here till date.
The country's eastern sector bordering China
got fortified on March,08,2011,Tuesday with the induction of the Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter aircraft at the Chabua Air Force Station.
The initiation was done through a symbolic ceremony with the inaugural flight of the Sukhoi Su-30MKI taking off from here. It also performed an overshoot before landing.
Wing Commander K Sundaramani and Flt-Lt MB Walunj took off for the first sortie on the Sukhoi Su-30MKI in the presence of senior officers of the Indian Air Force, including Air Marshal KK Nohwar, Air Officer Commanding in Chief Eastern Air Command, Air Commodore Mrigendra Singh, Air officer Commanding, Chabua Air Force Station . This was followed by a fly past by three Sukhoi Su-30MKI aircraft.
Speaking to the media, Air Marshal Nohwar said the induction of the highly sophisticated aircraft was part of the process to ascertain that the borders in the eastern part of the country remain free from any intrusion. "The Chabua station (102 Sqn, 14 Wing) is the easternmost fighter base of the country. It is the first line of defence in the east and the induction of the Sukhoi Su-30MKI will strengthen its capability," added Nohwar.
The Air Marshal said the Vijaynagar runway in Arunchal Pradesh was being repaired and will be soon open to operations of the fixed wing aircraft for better air maintenance. At present, the Air Force has a fleet of around 270 Sukhoi Su-30MKI aircraft.
Describing the special features of the fighter plane, Nohwar said the Sukhoi Su-30MKI was a state-of-the-art aircraft for better maintenance.
Chabua is the second airbase in the northeast after Tezpur to house the Sukhois, capable of striking targets inside China with a cruising speed range of 3,200 km, which can be more than doubled with mid-air refuelling by IL-78 aircraft.
The Air Force base at Chabua was constructed in 1939. The air field was extensively used for launching operations against the Japanese. In 1962, the IAF commenced operations in response to the Chinese invasion of Tibet and threat to the northeast.
While India is only now trying to counter China's massive build-up of military infrastructure all along the 4,057-km Line of Actual Control, the People's Liberation Army (Air Force) already has at least six fully functional airbases in Tibet and three in south China. The Linzi airbase, for instance, is not even 30 km away from the LAC in Arunachal.
.
.
Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian armed forces. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict...
base located at Chabua
Chabua
Chabua is a town and a town area committee in Dibrugarh district in the state of Assam, India.-Geography:Chabua is located at . It has an average elevation of 106 metres .-Demographics:...
in the state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
of Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Currently used as a training airfield, the MiG-21 (FL) fighters assigned train young fighter pilots, thus, enabling a smooth transition to an operational role in the frontline squadrons of IAF. The unit calls itself ‘the young ones’. Formed in October, 1966 with the motto Abhyasen hi Kaushalayam, the unit has a glorious and chequered history since its establishment. Seven Vir Chakra, a Vayu Sena Medal and five Mention-in-Despatches won by the unit is a testimony to the gallantry of the unit. More recently, the unit has been declared as the `best fighter squadron' of EAC for the current year.
History
This Base was built in 1939. During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
it was a major supply point for the ferrying of supplies to Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
's forces in and around Kunming, China. This was known as "Flying the Hump".
The Japanese occupation of Burma
Burma Campaign
The Burma Campaign in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was fought primarily between British Commonwealth, Chinese and United States forces against the forces of the Empire of Japan, Thailand, and the Indian National Army. British Commonwealth land forces were drawn primarily from...
in 1942 had cut off the Burma Road
Burma Road
The Burma Road is a road linking Burma with the southwest of China. Its terminals are Kunming, Yunnan, and Lashio, Burma. When it was built, Burma was a British colony.The road is long and runs through rough mountain country...
, the last land route by which the Allies could deliver aid to the Chinese Government of Chiang Kai-shek. Until the Burma Road
Burma Road
The Burma Road is a road linking Burma with the southwest of China. Its terminals are Kunming, Yunnan, and Lashio, Burma. When it was built, Burma was a British colony.The road is long and runs through rough mountain country...
could be retaken and the Ledo Road
Ledo Road
The Ledo Road was built during World War II so that the Western Allies could supply the Chinese as an alternative to the Burma Road which had been cut by the Japanese in 1942. It was renamed the Stilwell Road in early 1945 at the suggestion of Chiang Kai-shek...
completed, the only supply route available was the costly and dangerous route for transport planes over the Himalayas between India'a Assam Valley and Kunming, China. This route became known as the Himalayan Hump or simply The Hump
The Hump
The Hump was the name given by Allied pilots in the Second World War to the eastern end of the Himalayan Mountains over which they flew military transport aircraft from India to China to resupply the Chinese war effort of Chiang Kai-shek and the units of the United States Army Air Forces based in...
.
Operated initially by the United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
Ferrying Command (Later Air Transport Command
Air Transport Command
Air Transport Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its mission was to meet the urgent demand for the speedy reinforcement of the United States' military bases worldwide during World War II, using an air supply system to supplement surface transport...
) China Ferrying Command (later ATC India China Wing). The 1st Ferrying (later Transport) Group operated three squadrons of C-47 Skytrain
C-47 Skytrain
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
and C-46 Commando
C-46 Commando
The Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando was a transport aircraft originally derived from a commercial high-altitude airliner design. It was instead used as a military transport during World War II by the United States Army Air Forces as well as the U.S. Navy/Marine Corps under the designation R5C...
aircraft from Chabua. The airfield was also an important layover stop of the ATC Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
-Kunming
Kunming
' is the capital and largest city of Yunnan Province in Southwest China. It was known as Yunnan-Fou until the 1920s. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of Yunnan, and is the seat of the provincial government...
air transport route. Flights operated west to Agra Airport, Willingdon Airfield (New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
), Gaya Airport
Gaya Airport
Gaya Airport , also known as Bodhgaya Airport , is a public airport serving Gaya, Bihar, India. It is the second most busiest airport in Bihar after Patna. It is one of the holiest places of worship for Buddhist people...
, Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
(Borjhar Airport) and east into Dali Airport
Dali Airport
-Airlines and destinations:Flight time to Kunming is 20 minutes; to Xishuangbanna 25 minutes.- References :* - Reference* from AirfieldMaps.co.uk*...
, and Kunming (Wujiaba Airport) in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
While the route kept the transports relatively free from enemy attack (Enemy action destroyed only seven aircraft, killing 13 men) it led over rugged terrain, through violent storms, with snow and ice at the higher altitudes the planes flew over the mountains. Flying the Himalayan Hump would turn out to be some of the most dangerous flying in the world. Over the course of action there were 460 aircraft and 792 men lost. Still, the operations were a success. There were 167,285 trips that moved 740,000 tons of material to support Chinese troops and other Allied forces.
In addition to the ATC transport units, elements of the Tenth Air Force
Tenth Air Force
The Tenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Reserve Command . It is headquartered at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas....
380th Bombardment Group, 375th Bombardment Squadron
375th Bombardment Squadron
The 375th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with 308th Bombardment Wing stationed at Plattsburgh Air Force Base, New York.-History:...
operated B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
s from the airfield, flying long range bombardment missions into Burma, south China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
(Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
) and well as French Indochina
French Indochina
French Indochina was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin , Annam , and Cochinchina , as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887....
(Haiphong
Haiphong
, also Haiphong, is the third most populous city in Vietnam. The name means, "coastal defence".-History:Hai Phong was originally founded by Lê Chân, the female general of a Vietnamese revolution against the Chinese led by the Trưng Sisters in the year 43 C.E.The area which is now known as Duong...
). A total of 8 B-24s were lost. Also the B-24s were used to ferry aircraft fuel into China.
The airfield was abandoned after the war. In 1962, in response to the Chinese invasion of Tibet and the subsequent threat it posed to the North-East, the IAF commenced operations from this airfield. Initially Dakotas and Vampires, later Hunters, Otters and Mi-4 helicopters commenced air operations form Chabua air base. In the mid-seventies, subsequent to the runway upgradation and renovation, the supersonic MiG-21 became the mainstay fighter aircraft operating from here till date.
The country's eastern sector bordering China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
got fortified on March,08,2011,Tuesday with the induction of the Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter aircraft at the Chabua Air Force Station.
The initiation was done through a symbolic ceremony with the inaugural flight of the Sukhoi Su-30MKI taking off from here. It also performed an overshoot before landing.
Wing Commander K Sundaramani and Flt-Lt MB Walunj took off for the first sortie on the Sukhoi Su-30MKI in the presence of senior officers of the Indian Air Force, including Air Marshal KK Nohwar, Air Officer Commanding in Chief Eastern Air Command, Air Commodore Mrigendra Singh, Air officer Commanding, Chabua Air Force Station . This was followed by a fly past by three Sukhoi Su-30MKI aircraft.
Speaking to the media, Air Marshal Nohwar said the induction of the highly sophisticated aircraft was part of the process to ascertain that the borders in the eastern part of the country remain free from any intrusion. "The Chabua station (102 Sqn, 14 Wing) is the easternmost fighter base of the country. It is the first line of defence in the east and the induction of the Sukhoi Su-30MKI will strengthen its capability," added Nohwar.
The Air Marshal said the Vijaynagar runway in Arunchal Pradesh was being repaired and will be soon open to operations of the fixed wing aircraft for better air maintenance. At present, the Air Force has a fleet of around 270 Sukhoi Su-30MKI aircraft.
Describing the special features of the fighter plane, Nohwar said the Sukhoi Su-30MKI was a state-of-the-art aircraft for better maintenance.
Chabua is the second airbase in the northeast after Tezpur to house the Sukhois, capable of striking targets inside China with a cruising speed range of 3,200 km, which can be more than doubled with mid-air refuelling by IL-78 aircraft.
The Air Force base at Chabua was constructed in 1939. The air field was extensively used for launching operations against the Japanese. In 1962, the IAF commenced operations in response to the Chinese invasion of Tibet and threat to the northeast.
While India is only now trying to counter China's massive build-up of military infrastructure all along the 4,057-km Line of Actual Control, the People's Liberation Army (Air Force) already has at least six fully functional airbases in Tibet and three in south China. The Linzi airbase, for instance, is not even 30 km away from the LAC in Arunachal.
.
.
External links
- Chabua Air Force Base at GlobalSecurity.orgGlobalSecurity.orgGlobalSecurity.org, launched in 2000, is a public policy organization focusing on the fields of defense, space exploration, intelligence, weapons of mass destruction and homeland security...
- http://www.usaaf.net/ww2/airlift/airliftpg7.htm
- http://warren421.home.comcast.net/history.html