New Delhi: To add to its collection of historic aircraft; Indian Air Force (IAF) on Friday welcomed a refurbished World War-II Dakota DC-3 VP 905 aircraft in at Hindon Air Force station.
According to an official release by the Air Force, the aircraft commenced its journey from the United Kingdom on April 17 and covered a distance of 9,750 km to India and making several stops in France, Italy, Greece, Jordan, Bahrain and Oman.
The aircraft landed at Jamnagar Air Force Station on April 25 and reached its final destination at Hindon Air Force Station on April 26.
“The arduous feat of traversing half the globe in nine days on an aircraft of this vintage is a tribute to the steadfast determination and professionalism of the crew, the unflinching support provided by the Embassies of India in the countries en-route and the unwavering reliability of the old warhorse,” read the official release.
On its final leg of the journey, it was escorted over the sea from Muscat to Jamnagar, by a P-8I reconnaissance aircraft of the Indian Navy, a C-130J and the IAF’s frontline fighter, Su-30 MKIs.
The Dakota aircraft, also known as ‘the gooney bird’ was inducted into the force in 1946 for transporting troops to inaccessible areas. Around 90 of these 1956-1959
The aircraft also played an important role in the wars that took place on 1947, 1948 and 1971. (ANI)