| The
Giants |
| BAe Canberra |
IF 907 |
| C-47 Dakota |
IJ 817 |
| Illyushin-14 |
IL 860 |
| Liberator |
HE 924 |
| C-119 Packet |
IK 450 |
| DHC-4 Caribou |
BM
774 |
| Tupolev-124 |
V
644 |
| Antonov-12 |
BL 727 |
There were some aircraft that were too large to be displayed inside
the hangar. All of these are either Bombers or Transport aircraft. Outside the
hangar in the public viewable area are two distinguished aircraft used as bombers.
The Canberra and the Liberator.
Away from public access in the flight apron of Palam Air Base are the
larger transport aircraft. This collection includes the Fairchild Packet, the Tupolev 124,
The Antonov-12, The Illyushin-12 "Meghdoot II" , and the legendary C-47
Dakota, now sporting bright yellow color scheme.
These aircraft are not accessible to the general public except for
Air Force Day, when the hangar doors are thrown open.
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| English Electric Canberra
B 58(I) - IF 907 The
English Electric Canberra entered IAF service in 1957 and is still serving in some units.
IF 907 a B (I) 58 variant of the famous bomber is displayed along with the various
ordnance loads it carried including the Block Buster on display in the picture on the
right. |
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| Consolidated B-24J Liberator - HE 924 HE 924 is one of the six Ex-IAF Liberators surviving in the world.
The only two examples of the Liberator flying in the world are Ex-IAF aircraft. Scavenged
from the scrapyards of Kanpur, the Liberators are a tribute to HAL and the technical
airmen of the IAF. This picture also gives a clear view of the 4000 lb "Block
buster" carried by the Canberra. |
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Tupolev-124 After serving the IAF's Pegasus squadron in a VIP transport
role, the Tu-124 was phased out in 1980. One of them retained in the Palam airstation
complete with its plush interiors. (Photo Courtesy :Phil Camp) |
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| Antonov-12 - BL 727 Seven An-12s were still serving in the early 1990s when
it was decided to put them up for sale. BL 727 was retained for preservation at Palam. The
An-12 also had a rear gun turret. (Photo Courtesy :Phil Camp) |
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Douglas C-47 Dakota IJ 817 The Venerable Douglas Dakota served the IAF for nearly
four decades, being phased out in the 1980s. IJ 817 is one Dakota that is reported to be
in a flyable condition.
(Photo Courtesy : Marcel de Jong) |
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| Fairchild C-119 Flying
Boxcar IK450 The
Fairchild C-119 affectionately called the Packet was synonymous with Paratroopers in
India. It was equipped with an Orpheus Jet Engine in a pod on the top as can be seen in
this museum example
(Photo Courtesy : Simon Watson)
Update: Photograph of the
C-119 taken in February 2005 by Peter Arnold from UK shows the aircraft in good
condition overall. Note the Iskra under the tail boom of the Packet. |
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Illyushin Il-14 IL-860
"Meghdoot II" The
Illyushin 14 on display is believed to be one of the personal mounts of former Prime
Minister Nehru. The IL-14 is currently located outside the main hangar in the flight
dispersal area as seen in the above picture.
(Photo Courtesy : Phil Hawk) |
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| De Havilland Canada DHC-4
Caribou BM-774 This
Caribou was originally lying derelict at Jorhat before it was restored to static display
standards by Eastern Air Command. The restoration crew is seen in the photo on the right.
(Photo Courtesy : Sainik Samachar)
More photographs of the aircraft proved to be
quite elusive to procure. However in a recent trip to Delhi, B Harry captured the
all-silver painted Caribou parked at the IAF blast pen complex to the North of the
airfield.
The Caribou seems to have been restored from
an intact fuselage . The vertical fin and elevators are the portions that looked like they
have been scratch built. The Elevator tail planes look like a rush job, or perhaps
the restoration team did not have any plans to go by - and have come out looking the
worst.
Caribous of the IAF have always been painted
Olive Green - with the 'Indian Air Force / Bharatiya Vayu Sena' Legend on the side of the
fuselage. This particular Caribou has been painted in an inaccurate All-Silver scheme. |
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