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News

20061129A_008101007s.jpg (25263 bytes)new.gif (147 bytes)Wreckage recovered off the Kerala Coast Dec 2006:  Wg Cdr V G Kumar (Retd) first pointed out that local Kerala news agencies have reported that fishermen have recovered an aircraft wreckage from the sea near Trissur.  at Chakkavad village. Subsequently the Hindu newspaper carried a couple of photographs   ...[More]

Akash-MiG_Small.jpg (10627 bytes)Akash Mess Warbirds Update Sept 2006:  Sandeep Unnithan reports that the Warbirds at the Akash mess are to be relocated elsewhere. A new MiG-21 nose has been added as a display inside the main building. ...[More]

-Missing Bf-109 surfaces in the UK? Sept 2006:  The UK Civil Aircraft Register G-INFO shows a new aircraft registered with the same werk number as the previous missing Indian Bf-109. ...[More]

-MiG-25 Foxbats Phased out: The Indian Air Force has phased out its MiG25s at a ceremony on 1st May 2006. An exclusive report on what is going to happen to each warbird and how some of them have already arrived at thier final destinations!   ...[More]

-Farewell to the Foxbats Mar 2006: The Indian Air Force is all set to phase out its small fleet of MiG-25 Foxbats on 1st of May 2006. The news first came to us via Sandeep Unnithan. ...[More]

Click to Read Heritage Museum, Jodhpur Oct  2005, : Heritage Museum at Air Force Station, Jodhpur is one of the prestigious museums established by the Indian Air Force. The Museum features a Sukhoi, Marut and a MiG-27 on display ...[More]

Retrieving the Relics Oct 2005, : The Indian Army launched an expedition titled Punar Uthan II to retrieve the wreckage and personal effects of those lost in the An-12 crash in 1968. The mission was organised by 8th Mtn Division ....[More]

MiG-23 Unveiled at Gandhinagar. Air Chief Marshal S P Tyagi recently unveiled a plaque on a MiG-23 MF at Gandhinagar. This is the first MiG-23 MF on public display in the country. News reports on the event are featured in this page....[More]

-SALVEX 2005 ends with retrieval of Sea Hawk   It appears that No.41 Repair and Salvage Unit from Ambala has been on a restoration Spree. The following News articles appeared in the papers about the wreckage of a DHC-3 Otter that has been restored by the Unit.  Another report from the Tribune indicated that a New Hunter was installed at the Ambala Air Force Station. ....[More]

 Vintage Otter and Hunter at Ambala. It appears that No.41 Repair and Salvage Unit from Ambala has been on a restoration Spree. The following News articles appeared in the papers about the wreckage of a DHC-3 Otter that has been restored by the Unit.  Another report from the Tribune indicated that a New Hunter was installed at the Ambala Air Force Station. ....[More]

Dakotas at Palam! A report: - Thanks to Google Earth, a revolutionary free software that lets you view high resolution imagery of Delhi airport, we are able to confirm the existence of two Dakotas, the three HS-748s and a host of other aircraft movements. ......[More].

-Japanese Bomber relics at Kanpur. Vishal Kapoor sends us a discovery - A propeller of a Japanese WW2 bomber that was downed in 1943, now preserved at the Kanpur Club! Presented by none other than Mr. Irwin of the Irwin Parachute Company!....[More]

-Farewell to the Iskra - The Indian Air Force retired its fleet of PZL TS-11 Iskra jet trainers in a special ceremony held at Air Force Station Hakimpet on the 16th of December 2004. We were there to cover the event in detail  ....[More]

-Benares Hurricane Recover Pictures! Aeroplane Monthly magazine publishes photographs of the recovery of R4118 from Varanasi. This aircraft has already flown its first post restoration flight in England and this event is reported in this article . ....[More]

Hyd_Iskra03_Small.jpg (17018 bytes)Influx of Iskra warbirds in the offing. The Indian Air Force had officiallyl retired the Iskra jet trainer from active duty. As many as 25 surplus aircraft are slated to be distributed around the country for gate guardian duties in the near future .....[More]

-Benares Hurricane takes to the air!. Peter Vacher's Hurricane Mk 1 R4118 undertakes its first post restoration flight in England. Damien Burke captures the aircraft in flight in his splendid photographs ....[More]

-HAL and PEC Trip Report. Rishi Tandon writes about the aircraft at PEC Chandigarh and HAL Ozhar, as well as some pictures of IIT Kanpur's aircraft ....[More]

-Restoring the Caribou. A Caribou has recently been presented to the Indian Air Force Museum in Palam. This aircraft BM-774 was a derelict lying in Jorhat before it was earmarked for restoration  ....[More]

-Mi-8 Gifted to PEC Chandi-garh. 3BRD installs a Mi-8 helicopter on the premises of PEC   Chandigarh on 29 Jan 2004. Z-1381 is the first Mi-8 to have exhausted its TTL ....[More]

-Wright Flyer unveiled at VITM. The VITM in Bangalore now boasts a newly built Wright Flyer replica. This aircraft was constructed out of original Smiths  ....[More]

-Crashed Sea Harrier salvaged from Sea! January 1, 2004:The Indian Navy had salvaged a Sea Harrier that crashed in the sea on August 24. The aircraft might find itself as the latest Warbird on the block ...[More]

http://www.hawker-restorations-ltd.co.uk/MFPMk1.htmlBenares Hurricane takes shape! Peter Vacher's Hurricane G-HUPW that came from Benares takes shapes at Hawker Restorations in UK which is undertaking the pain-staking work. ...[More]

Missing An-12 Mystery Solved after 33 Years: Sept 1, 2003:It was a mystery waiting to be solved for more than 35 years. When some members from a trekking party from the Himalayan Mountaineering  ... [More]

Click to see full pictureRestored Spitfire MV-459 unveiled at Ambala August 1, 2003:We knew that the Spitfire recovered from the riverbed at Mullana had become a candidate for an internal restoration of the Indian Air Force ..... [More]

Spitfire found in Ambala River: Spitfire being escavated from River BedA group of workers working on farm land stumbled onto the wreckage of a Spitfire buried in sand at the Rolanheri village in Ambala, in what could be the Discovery of this year [Click here]

Hidden Gems at Faridkot Palace:News from Faridkot A link to a report on the video file on the Tribune India Website about the splendors of Faridkot. The Video shows the Maharaja's aircraft hangar and some rusting relics like a Sentinel and a Proctor. Click here

Preserved Dakota damaged in Thane
ThaneDak.jpg (22209 bytes)August 31  , 2001:
The J K Singhania group preserves a Douglas Dakota DC-3 (VT-CEB) at the Multi-Million dollar Singhania Hospital in Thane City, near Mumbai. This Dakota is a World War 2 veteran and was flown by Mr. Vijaypat Singhania earlier and retired sometime in 1997. ..[More].

Canberras Still Fly!IF-901 from Agra Air Forces Monthly February issue has a feature on IAF Canberras still flying from Agra. Atleast twelve Canberras have been collected in Agra to form the 'B' Flight of No.106 SPR Squadron to carry out Aerial Recce and Survey Photography. ..[More].

Hunters Last flight:Hunter-S571October 8th, 2001: The Indian air force bid adieu to the Hawker Hunter after nearly 44 years of Service. The Hawker Hunter was officially phased out today at the Air Force Station Palam, with the last example making its flight during the AF Day celebrations......[More].

Click to EnlargeHunter unveiled at Nagpur: December, 2001 A Hawker Hunter T.66 , was unveiled at Nagpur by the Chief of Air Staff, ACM A Y Tipnis. The aircraft was previously noted at Kalaikunda. ...[More].

Vikrant open for Navy Week
November 25th, Bombay:
Celebrating the Navy Week which commences from 1st December, the Navy is throwing open the Ex-INS Vikrant for general public to visit. For the first time, a glimpse of what is in store for the Vikrant as a Museum can be observed during this time. There are Seven aircraft on display on the Aircraft Carrier. Some of the aircraft are displayed in action diaromas, with Mannequins in flying suits and equipment.[More]

Click to ReadHeritage Museum inaugrated Jodhpur
Sep 2001, Jodhpur:
Air Chief Marshal AY Tipnis, Chief of Air Staff recently inaugurated the Air Force Museum, "The Heritage", at Jodhpur. Mrs Molina Tipnis, President, Air Force Wives Welfare Association (AFFWA), Air Marshal VK Bhatia, Air Officer Commanding in Chief, South Western Air Command (SWAC), Mrs Sunita Bhatia [More]

Peter Vacher's Hurricane (Ex-BHU)
Sep 2001, UK:
The aircraft acquired from the Benares Hindu University by Peter Vacher of UK, was a rare Vintage Hawker Hurricane I. There are less than thirty surviving airframes and the acquisition of this aircraft by Mr. Vacher is a coup of sorts as the Hawker Hurricane is a much sought.....[More]

A Hawker Hurricane in Patna!??
August 2001
Believe it or not, A Hawker Hurricane is believed to be on display in Patna in the state of Bihar!. How reliable is this report? News of this aircraft surfaced in a recent issue of Aeroplane Magazine, which reported.... [More]

British Era Plane Debris recovered!
CHHINDWARA October 26, 1999 : The debris of an Army Dakota plane that crashed in 1938 have been found recently near village Ambadi under Sausar tehsil in Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh.The Dakota plane belonged to .. [More]

HAL Heritage Center to be unveiled!
BANGALORE, August 5th 2001:
HAL is all set to unveil its heritage center located on the Airport road, at the HAL Complex.  Set up in thier erstwhile the... [More]

Benares Hindu University sells its Warbird to Briton:
Varanasi, - June 2001 -
Peter Vacher, a flier and aviation enthusiast from Briton has suceeded in buying the World War 2 aircraft on display at the BHU Campus. ... [More]

Chance Vought  F-4U Corsair recovered from sea off QuilonCorsair wreckKerala , April 2001 - The wreckage of a small aircraft that was reported by the fishing boat Hansantony off the Kollam (Quilon) Coast was retrieved at the Shaktikulangara Beach. Naval experts from INS Garuda identified the wreckage as that of a Vought F4U Corsair aircraft. This aircraft is a World War II [Read on]

The LCA takes to the Skies!!Click to EnlargeBangalore , 4 January 2001 - The first combat aircraft to have been designed since the 1960s took to the air in Bangalore flown by Wg Cdr Rajiv Kothiyal....More in the Indian Aerospace News [Jan 2001]

Features

Warbird Discovery of the Year

Warbird Discovery of the YearWDY 2005. Asia's first jet fighter revealed. A Vampire that has been lying with the elements for nearly forty years is identified as a historic airframe - with some helps from warbirdsofindia.com website ....[More]

Click to EnlargeWDY 2004. The two IAF Kanpur aircraft, one at PEC Chandigarh, and the other at IIT Kanpur are the 'Discoveries of 2004'. Links to the pages of both the aircraft and several exclusive photographs ....[More]

Spitfire at AmbalaWDY 2003. The Spitfire MV-459 at Ambala is the Warbird Discovery of the year 2003. A special feature on the aircraft. that covers the story from its recovery in the field in Feb 03 to its restoration and unveiling at Ambala in Oct 03 ....[More]

 Every year we highlight one of the contributions sent by visitors as the 'warbird discovery of the year'. This year the award goes hands down to the Messerschmitt Bf-109 discovered at Gulbarga by Mr. Laxman Anantaramu of NAL Bangalore. ...[More]

Warbird Sightings 2006

More Sightings of New Vintage aircraft sent in by visitors and other sources that are not featured in the main master list .These will be added after confirmation from other sources. Have you seen them anywhere?...[More]

Mag Watch 2006

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Theis years Mag Watch! See how many stories were inspired by one of our Sept Updates News article! ....[More]

Features

-The great warbird auction 1974. Warbirds galore are sent to the scrapman - or the preservation bodies in the 1976 auction of obsolete airframes by the governtment of India.  The original tender notice is now showcased - thanks to Mr. Peter Arnold, who sent us his copy. ....[More]

-Indian Warbird Census crosses 300 mark. When this site started, the number of warbirds known to be in existence were a mere 80. By the end of the first year, we had catalogued nearly 180 aircraft.  This year, the number of 'warbirds' in India has crossed 300 ....[More]

Army gets the spotlight in Bollywood, Navy and Air Force ignored - UNI's Mrityunjoy Bose writes about War Movies and Warbirds - with expert opinion provided by the Site Webmaster!. ...[More]

"Soaring Again" - An Article by Sandeep UnnithanSoaring Again! Sandeep Unnithan's path breaking article on the export of Vintage aircraft from India that resulted in the Hunt for the Messerschmitt 109. This article appeared in India Today in November 2002. ...[More]

Aust_MiG01_Small.jpg (20026 bytes)MiG-21 Pretender down under! George Canciani's excellent pictures on the 'IAF' MiG-21UM serialled U-2146 in the Red Scorcher's Scheme. The true identity of this aircraft is VH-XXI. ...[More]

Click to View FeatureForgotten Hunters: Simon Watson's poignant photographs of the Hunters from Kalaikunda in 1999, when the Banners had started 'retiring' their flyers. This feature is hosted on the Bharat Rakshak Server.  ......[More].

Naval Aviation Museum TV Report: A direct link to a video file on the Tribune India Website that covers the  Goa Naval Aviation Museum.  Requires Real Media Player. Click here to view the file.

Su-7 Video Air Power Display Day 89 Video: Two Sukhoi-7 airframes were used for target practice during air power display in 1989. A MiG-27 used the derelict airframes for target practice and wrote them off in a matter of seconds. See the video here ....[More]

Air Force Day 1989Vintage Flights Air Force Day 89 Flypast : photographs from the last public flypast by the Vintage Flight of the IAF Museum in Palam from 1989. This was the last known ocassion that the Spitfire and Vampire flew together....[More]

fborder17.jpg (12906 bytes)Warbirds in Films : Border : A Review of one of the most sucessful 'War' Movies ever made in India. Border, was made in the mid 90s based upon the real story of the Battle of Longewala. The highlight of the movie are the excellent scenes of MiGs and Hunters. ..[More].

FSA10.jpg (8972 bytes)Warbirds in Films- Sangam : Continuing the series of IAF warbirds in films, this time a review of the Canberras and Dakotas from Sangam.. which provides a first time glimpse in color...[Read on]

fMyst02.jpg (8830 bytes)Warbirds in Films-Hindustan Ki Kasam : Nakul Shah provides us with a brief write up and Video Captures from a 1970s movie on the IAF which .....[Read on]

The Vampire's Last Flight
How a few officers of the AFA "conspired" to start off the Academy's vintage aircraft collection......[Read on]

Warbirds in Films : From time to time, One comes across some vague sightings in movies which .....[Read on]

 

 

 

 

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