Warbirds of India

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Andhra Pradesh

Begumpet Air Force StationOnce upon a time, the hub of civil aviation, Begumpet Airport is located in the center of Hyderabad. Begumpet currently houses the  Air Force Station as well as the AP Aviation Academy. The Domestic and International Airports have moved to Shamshabad. 

Andhra Pradesh is one of the largest states in India in terms of area, ranking after MP, Uttarpradesh ,Rajasthan and Maharastra. Located in the southern part of the country, the State has a population of over 80 million and has its fair share of presence in terms of Defence installations are concerned. 
  • Dundigal   ( 18 Articles )
    Shram se Siddhi - (Accomplishment thru Hard Work) - The Crest of the Air Force Academy 

    Situated 43km from the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad is the Air Force Academy [AFA] at Dundigal village. The AFA is the cradle of training   not only for the IAF pilots, but also for the ground duty and technical officers . Established at this location in the year 1971, every year two batches of  pilots graduate to proceed for further training in the Fighter , Transport and the Helicopter wings at other training establishments.

    The AFA has numerous HPT-32 Deepak piston engine trainers to impart Ab-initio training and HAL HJT-16 Kiran Mk 1 Jet Trainers to impart basic Jet aircraft training. Apart from this, Ground Duty officer training is also carried out in various trades

  • Hyderabad   ( 8 Articles )
    Click to EnlargeHawker Hunter BA-313 "Rasne" of No.20 Thunderbolt Squadron was the first visible Warbird in the twin cities. This aircraft was bought here in Jan 1997 , Also seen is in the picture is my trusty bike "DEVIL" :)

    As mentioned, In Hyderabad, the Indian Air Force has got its establishments like the Air Force Academy ,Dundigal, The air force stations at Begumpet and Hakimpet, where the Helicopter Training School and the Fighter Training Wing are located, and The College of Air Warfare, Secunderabad. Another Airforce Academy which imparts Basic Flying training in the HPT-32 aircraft is situated in the neighbouring state of Karnataka, on the border with Andhra Pradesh at Bidar.

  • Other Exhibits   ( 1 Article )

    The Navy has a huge presence in the port city of Visakhapatnam in the Northeastern part of the state. Visakhapatnam is the Headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command. The Navy uses Visakhapatnam airport for its aerial operations which include Helicopters as well as Kiran trainers. 

    Random individual warbirds are also found scattered across the state. These include a Gnat on display at the JNTU College of Engineering in the port city of Kakinada. There are atleast two derelict aircraft at the Sainik School at Korukonda in the Vizainagaram district. Several districts have warmemorials and it is quite possible a couple of aircraft might have made it to these memorials.