The North Eastern Area of India comprises of the states of  Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura and Nagaland. The entire area is the responsiblity of Eastern Air Command [EAC] with its HQ at Shillong. EAC maintains airbases at Calcutta, Panagarh, Kalaikunda , Barrackpore, Bagdogra, Hashimara (All in West Bengal), Jorhat, Chabua, Gauhati, Tezpur, (All in Assam), Shillong (Meghalaya) and some "Advanced Landing Grounds" as in Walong (Arunachal Pradesh), Mohanbari and Vijaynagar. Some of the airfields where warbirds were sighted in the North East are listed at the end of the page.

Vairengte, Mizoram

An Mi-4 hulk 'dumped' at the Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School in Vairengte, Mizoram. Pic Courtesy: Times of India

Mizoram is one of the seven sister states that make up the North East. A hotbed of insurgency for some time, it is home to the Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School (CIJWS) at Vairengte. The CIJWS was set up in 1970 and is considered one of the most prestigious Anti-Terrorist schools. There is a hulk of an Mil Mi-4 at the CIJWS that was seen in recent pictures of the US-India Joint training exercises.

The Mi-4 has its rotors chopped to a very short length fro the hub and seems to be sitting in some high grass that obscures the undercarraige. The Helicopter was probably a remnant from the 70s when the Mi-4s dotted the north east, just like Mi-8s do today. No serial info or provenance information is available.

Chabua, Assam

Hawker Hunters dot the airfields around the Northeast. Nos 17 and 37 Squadrons flying the Hunter operated in the Assam region througout the 1960s. Their presences was continued later by No.7 Squadron and the HOFTU which were based at Kalaikunda. Hunters have been reported as gate guardians at Gauhati, Chabua and Jorhat.

This Hawker Hunter F.56a in the striking scheme of the Thunderbolts Aerobatic Team is on display at the Chabua Air Force Station. Pic Courtesy: Sanjay Simha

The Hunter on display at Chabua is an Ex-Thunderbolts aircraft. It was left here after the airframe was found damaged/stressed at the end of an aerobatic display. Chabua also has several MiG-21 and MiG-27 wrecks lying on its airfield perimeter along with the rear fuselage of a DHC-3 Otter.

Walong, Arunachal Pradesh

Caribou Memorial at Walong. This DHC-4 is believed to be Serial No. BM 769.  Stripped of the engines and major parts, the aircraft lies derelict and untouched at Walong. Note the barbed wire fence to keep people off.  Photo Courtesy Frontline

A Derelict Caribou was photographed at the Walong Advanced landing ground in Arunachal Pradesh. This Wreck had been converted into the "Caribou Memorial" , purported to be S.No BM-769, This  was the second Caribou acquired by India. But Sources say that BM-769 was on lease for a short period and was returned to the USAF after the lease period. Almost all of the Caribous were sold off to an American Company which have later scrapped the aircraft. No aircraft is there in the Indian Air Force Museum at Palam. Thus making the derelict aircraft at Walong the sole survivor.

Kohima, Nagaland

The C47 Dakota at the Army Cantonment at Jakhama, outside Kohima in Nagaland.  Photo Courtesy Temjen Jamir

In the early 80s, the AOC of Jorhat at that time, Air Cmde Kanagat VM, presented a Dakota aircraft to the 8th Mountain Division of the Indian Army, which was based at Kohima in Manipur and whose air support was the task of the Wing at Jorhat. The Dakota was transported to Kohima and assembled by the Air base personnel in the army cantonment area. 

8th Mountain Division had moved out of that area, but it appears that the Dakota is still there - as per the photograph sent in by Temjen Jamir.

Similar to Jammu and Kashmir, the NE States are also an aircraft grave yard. Conditions like the mountainous terrain of Arunachal Pradesh to the thick Jungles of Nagaland and Mizoram have contributed to aircraft being lost in numbers over the decades.

A Detailed warbird and wreck sighting report by Journalists Phil Camp and Simon Watson can be found at this link. The warbirds (5 in all) observed at Chabua and Mohanbari can be read in the report.

The list of warbirds observed at other locations in the North East are: