A clear photograph of HF-24 Marut D1209 emerges from Chandigarh
No.3 Base Repair Depot (BRD) shares the Chandigarh Airfield with No.12 Wing. The BRD was set up on 20th August 1962 under the command of Gp Capt M J Kriplani. Over the years the rank of the BRD commander has been upgraded to Air Commodore. 3 BRD was initially set up to overhaul Russian aircraft in the IAF inventory – like the Illyushin-14 and the Mil Mi-4. Over the years they have overhauled An-12s and currently the Mil series including the Mi-8, Mi-17, Mi-26, and the Mi-25/35 Gunships.
Rahul Devnath has reported the existence of an Mi-4 and provided a photo (seen above). He also reports that an Ajeet is displayed at the entrance of the BRD.
The BRD’s exposure to overhauling the Mi-8 medium helicopter, coupled with the expiry of the life of the first batch of Mi-8s resulted in several examples being released for warbird duties. One example found its way to Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh, and two examples were installed at the 12 Wing War memorial nearby.
Additionally, HF-24 Marut exists at a traffic triangle within the airfield environs. A recent photograph shows the aircraft in excellent condition. The aircraft’s serial number is D-1209