Sukhois inducted at Tezpur airfield

The Tezpur airfield,created in 1942,traces its origin to World War II when it was constructed by the British Royal Indian Air Force. It was subsequently developed into a full-fledged Indian Air Force base in 1959. Strategically located near four neighbouring countries Bhutan,China,Myanmar and Bangladesh it has been one of the most active IAF bases in the Northeast since its inception.

The first aircraft that flew from the Tezpur base were Vampires and Toofanis. The 101 Reconnaissance Squadron with Vampire aircraft and 4 Squadron with Toofanis were the first Squadrons to be located at this base. Subsequently came 29 Sqn (Toofani),37 Sqn (Hunter),4 Sqn (MiG-21),8 Sqn (MiG-21),28 Sqn (MiG-21),24 Sqn (Gnats),110 HU (Mi-4 helicopters),30 Sqn (MiG-21),MOFTU (MiG Operational Flying Training Unit) with MiG-21s and 115 HU (Cheetah/Chetak helicopters).

For the last 25 years,the Tezpur base had been home to the MiG-21 fleet,which has been used extensively to train rookie pilots for the IAF. In September 2007,fighter operations were discontinued at the airfield to facilitate runway repairs and extension. The SU-30 MKI aircraft has a twin cockpit and is a multi-role,all-weather,air-superiority fighter with air-to-air refueling capability. It is being manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited,Nasik.