Indian Air Force Hands Over 1971 Dakota Aircraft

DHAKA, Feb. 18 (NsNewsWire) — Air Marshal S.B. Deo, AVSM, VM, VSM, AOC-in-C, Eastern Air Command, Indian Air Force (IAF), formally handed over the Dakota (DC-3) aircraft, which has been installed at the Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) Museum, Tejgaon on 16 February 2015 at an impressive ceremony.  This Dakota aircraft took part in the para drop operations in Tangail on 11 December 1971 during the Liberation War.

  Dakota aircraft has special significance for BAF as BAF started its journey from Nagaland, Dimapur on 28 September 1971 with the establishment of ‘K’ flight which possessed one Dakota DC-3, one Otter aircraft and one Alluette helicopter.

        The aircraft was flown in from New Delhi in a dismantled state in the IAF’s C-17 Globemaster aircraft and then was re-assembled by IAF’s technical team led by Wing Commander R. Deshpande with assistance of BAF. Indian High Commission Press Release