Car Nicobar Air Force Base: Difference between revisions

{{Use Indian English|date=August 2013}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2013}}

| footnotes = Sources:<ref name="WAD">[http://www.worldaerodata.com/wad.cgi?airport=VOCX Airport information for VOCX] from [[DAFIF]] (effective October 2006)</ref>

'''Car Nicobar Air Force Base''' {{Airport codes|CBD|VOCX}} is located in [[IAF Camp]] village, on [[Car Nicobar]] Island in the [[Union Territory]] of the [[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]], [[India]].

The 37 Wing Air Force Station at Car Nicobar has an area of {{convert|504|acre|order=flip}}. The {{convert|3000|ft|0|adj=on|order=flip}} [[bitumen]] runway was built by the Japanese during their occupation of these islands between 1942–45. After 1945, it was used by the British Royal Air Force as a refuelling base for regular (generally twice-weekly) flights between RAF Negombo (now [[Colombo International Airport]]) in Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) and RAF Changi in Singapore (& vice versa), with an additional stop in RAF Butterworth, on the Malayan peninsula (opposite Penang). These flights were generally operated by [[Vickers Valetta]] twin-prop aircraft. The runway was extended to {{convert|8886|ft|0|order=flip}} by the [[Indian Air Force]] (IAF) in 1967. The first Mi-8 helicopter arrived here in 1982. Besides the [[No. 122 Helicopter Flight, IAF]] of [[Mil Mi-8|Mi-8]] helicopters,<ref>{{cite web|title=Squadrons ad Helicopter units |url=http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Units/Squadrons/292-Squadrons.html |work= [[Bharat-rakshak.com]] |access-date= 9 January 2012 }}</ref> [[Dornier Flugzeugwerke|Dorniers]] and an Air Defence unit are based here.<ref>{{cite web |title=Andaman & Nicobar Command Saga of Synergy |url=http://www.sainiksamachar.nic.in/englisharchives/2011/oct16-11/h5.htm |work=Sainik Samachar Archive |access-date= 9 January 2012 }}</ref>

The airstrip was brought into operation by the IAF by raising Staging Post{{clarify|date=July 2014}} in the year 1956, with its role as refuelling station for all aircraft flying across the Bay of Bengal. The Helicopter Flight was later inducted on 1 April 1985. The Base was upgraded to Forward Base Support Units (FBSU) on 23 August 1986 and subsequently as a Wing on 15 September 1993.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Air Element |url=http://purpleberet.com/details/onceupon_detail.aspx?id=97 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120713170741/http://purpleberet.com/details/onceupon_detail.aspx?id=97 |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 July 2012 |work=Purple Beret.com |access-date=9 January 2012 }}</ref>

The Andaman & Nicobar Islands Administration operates biweekly flights between [[Veer Savarkar International Airport|Port Blair]] and [[INS Baaz|Campbell Bay]] via Car Nicobar with 10 seater [[Do 228|D228]] aircraft chartered from [[Indian Air Force]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://echoofindia.com/port-blair-launch-iaf-dornier-flight-services-lg-and-cs-flag-113174 |title=Air Force Started Flights Between Inter Islands |access-date=24 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160806175141/http://echoofindia.com/port-blair-launch-iaf-dornier-flight-services-lg-and-cs-flag-113174 |archive-date=6 August 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> There's also regular helicopter service by [[Pawan Hans]] between Car Nicobar, Port Blair and various Islands of Nicobar district.