Maintenance Command HQ
Nagpur was chosen as the new location of
Maintenance Command in the year 1963 after the then existing facilities at Kanpur were
felt as deficient. Maintenance Command moved to Nagpur in February 1964, when the then
Defence Minister YB Chavan laid the foundation for the present HQ Building.
The first warbird at the HQ building was a
HAL Gnat. The aircraft was occupied a place of pride and it was displayed exactly in front
of the HQ Building. However it was to be displaced by a MiG-23BN [SM-262].
This was aparently inagurated by Air Marshal S S Gupta, AOC-in-C Maintanance Command just
prior to its retirement. The Gnat was then shifted and pole mounted elsewhere.
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Maintenance Command Head
Quarters in Nagpur. This photo was taken from the mid 90s, when the Gnat was still on the
pedestal ahead of the building. To the right of the photo is an SA-2 Missile and launcher,
while to the left is a rare P-36 Mobile Radar. |
This Photo taken from
inside the MC HQ building shows the huge SA-2 Missile and in the far background can be
seen the Gnat. Pic Courtesy Ashit Chakraborty  |
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Ashit Chakraborty who hails from Nagpur ,
but now settled in Thailand, confirms that the Gnat was the sole warbird in Nagpur for
sometime, and has since then sent us the photo featured below. The aircraft was in service
for sometime flying from Srinagar Airfield, as can be seen in the accompanying period
picture. It was possibly flown by No.2 Squadron during its days in Srinagar airfield.
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HAL Gnat [E 261]
on display at its new location near the Canteen Stores Depot at the Vayu Sena Nagar in
Nagpur. Displayed on a Pylon, this Gnat is the same one which was displayed in front
of the Maintanance command Head Quarters. Pic Courtesy: Ashit
Chakraborty |
| E-261 seen in service
with the IAF at Srinagar airfield. Possibly in service with No.2 Squadron. |
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No Photographs of the MiG-23BN have
surfaced apart from a small picture from the Sainik Samachar Journal. The MiG-23 appears
to be in Grey camo scheme as is the norm nowadays.
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This small photo
from the Sainik Samachar magazine shows the recent MiG-23BN in front of Maint HQ Building. |
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