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Air Force Station Arjan Singh
Indian Air Force C-130J
IATA: none ICAO: VEPH
Summary
Airport type	Military (Indian Air Force)
Operator	Eastern Air Command
Serves	Indian Air Force
Location	Panagarh, West Bengal
Elevation AMSL	240 ft / 73 m
Coordinates	23°28′28″N 087°25′39″E / 23.47444°N 87.42750°E / 23.47444; 87.42750
Map
Air Force Station Arjan SinghAir Force Station Arjan SinghShow map of West BengalAir Force Station Arjan SinghAir Force Station Arjan Singh (India)Show map of India
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 15/33 2,743 9,000 Concrete / asphalt
Source: DAFIF

Air Force Station Arjan Singh (ICAO: VEPH), formerly Panagarh Airport, is an airport near Panagarh, a small town in the state of West Bengal in India. It is an air force base under Eastern Air Command of Indian Air Force. It is 24 km southeast of Durgapur city.

Units

• No. 87 Squadron (Lockheed C-130J Super Hercules)

History

During World War II, the airport was used as a supply transport airfield from 1942 to 1945 by the United States Army Air Forces Tenth Air Force and as a repair and maintenance depot for B-24 Liberator heavy bombers by Air Technical Service Command.

The airport has numerous wartime relics, with abandoned taxiways and a large concrete parking ramp remaining, although not used and in a deteriorating state.

In 2018 the airport was renamed after former chief of air force Arjan Singh.

Facilities

The airport is at an elevation of 73 m (240 ft) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 15/33 with an asphalt surface measuring 2743 m by 46 m (9000 ft by 150 ft).

The Air Force is also planning to deploy six aerial refueling tanker aircraft at Panagarh Air Station in West Bengal. This will enhance the striking range of fighter planes like Su-30MKIs based in Tezpur and Chabua (both in Assam). Panagarh is also the headquarters of Army's XVII Mountain Strike Corps. AFS Arjan Singh is another training base for Paratroopers. Paratrooper Training School in Agra have already set up their base here to train Special Forces for operations at night, even beyond the country's borders.

References

1. ^ Airport information for VEPH from DAFIF (effective October 2006)
2.  This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
3. Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
4. "Panagarh airbase renamed after former IAF chief Arjan Singh". The Economic Times. 11 July 2018. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
5. Gupta, Jayanta (7 October 2017). "Panagarh base to turn into Special Forces training hub". The Times of India. Kolkata. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
6. "Panagarh: Six facts about IAF's latest hub for C-130J Super Hercules planes". The Economic Times. 14 July 2018. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 28 August 2024.

External links

• Accident history for VEPH at Aviation Safety Network

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