Tezpur airfield renovated for deployment of Sukhois
New Delhi, Sept. 23 (PTI): The Tezpur airfield in Eastern Air Command is being renovated for deployment of the multi-role combat aircraft Sukhoi after the Indian Air Force bid farewell to its fleet of MiG-21s from this command earlier this month.
This will be the first time that highly integrated twin-finned aircraft would be deployed in the Eastern Command which can go up to 3,500 km without refuel and up to 5,000 km with additional fuel, covering the entire area.
The Su-30MKI is significantly more advanced than the Su-30MK or the Chinese Su-30 MKK variants with an aerodynamic configuration fit for an unstable longitudinal triplane. The canard increases the aircraft lifting and deflects automatically to allow high angle-of-attack flights.
The airport, spread over an area of 20.55 acres and located in Assam, is being renovated and all the flights including an occasional Indian flight, had been cancelled pending the renovation work, official sources said.
Only helicopters were flying out of the airfield now and the upgrading work was slated to be completed by next year before the command celebrates its golden jubilee, an IAF official said, adding the airfield was being upgraded to meet all modern facilities.
The IAF was officially quiet about the deployment of the air superiority fighter in the Eastern Command that looks after the Indo-China border.
The sources said the placing of the multi-role combat aircraft in the strategic command would be highly beneficial for the country's security.
National
