Aircraft Museum — Attraction in West Bengal

Envisioning to build attraction zones near the Kolkata gate at New Town, KMDA had initiated this military aircraft exhibition in a sprawling 2 acre land beside the New Town Police Station. Initially expected to open for public around mid 2020, the project was delayed due to pandemic and subsequent lockdown. Finally Chief Minister, Smt Mamata Banerjee inaugurated the museum on 9th of June, 2022.A decommissioned Tupolev Tu-142M maritime reconnaissance aircraft was brought in pieces from INS Rajali, Arakkonam in Tamil Nadu, on sixteen trucks. The pieces were assembled and the awe-inspiring super-structure was parked on a runway-like structure built solely for showcasing the aircraft in full grandeur. The aircraft is referred to as the "Bear" by NATO.

Designed by the Tupulev Design Bureau of the erstwhile USSR, Tu-142s are well equipped to trail submarines.The massive aircraft with four engines and eight propellers, had served the Indian Navy for 29 years between 1988 and 2017. Nicknamed "Albatross", for the exceptionally wide span of its wings, this was the heaviest and longest turbo propeller ever made in the world. It could be refueled mid air, giving it unprecedented advantage in maritime reconnaissance and combat operations. With fuel consumption of 6ton/ hour and top speed of upto 900kmph, this was a beast of an aircraft in the skies. The gunners positioned at the tail of the aircraft had special guns with a capacity to fire 8-inch bullets at the rate of 1200 rounds/minute. This anti-submarine aircraft was a valuable member of the Indian Navy. The experience of entering a fighter aircraft and watching the interiors first-hand is an incredible one. Visitors are allowed to board the aircraft and walk right into the cockpit. Entry is free for students. General Public need to purchase a ticket of Rs. 30 only. Developed by KMDA and owned by HIDCO, the museum has been set up at an estimated cost of Rs 10-11 crore. The museum remains open from 2.30 pm to 8.30 pm on the weekdays and from 12 noon to 8.30 pm on the weekends. It remains closed on Mondays for maintenance.

HIDCO has built a park for children, games arena, landscaped zones and ticketing booth along with refreshment counters. There is a kids' playing zone with activities that are modelled on the training program of military person.

The Aircraft Museum, is now a landmark amongst Kolkata's tourist hotspots. It offers great recreation opportunity for families living in and...

Aircraft museum built by the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority and exhibits a TU-142M Maritime Reconnaissance and Anti-Submarine Aircraft of Indian Navy.

Location of Aircraft Museum, Kolkata The Aircraft Museum is a military aviation museum located in New Town – Rajarhat area, Kolkata.

Collection of Aircraft Museum, Kolkata The Aircraft Museum is a decommissioned TU-142M Maritime Reconnaissance and Anti-Submarine Aircraft which was retired on 27 March 2017. A flight of stairs takes you to the inner cabins of this aircraft where you can see the Torpedo chambers, Reconnaissance Cameras, Black Box and other components of this Naval Aircraft. The various parts and areas have been labelled and life size mannequins of pilots and crew members have been placed to demonstrate the functionalities of this aircraft. This Tupolev 142M Aircraft is one of the loudest planes on the planet because each of the NK-2 Engine of this aircraft has two co-axial mounted contra rotating 18-feet long propellers, where the second one spins in the direction opposite two the first. This not only counteracts the torque created by the rotational airflow of the first propeller but harnesses it for greater speed. Contra-rotating propellers are, therefore more efficient but they are more expensive to produce and unbelievably noisy.

History of Aircraft Museum, Kolkata The TU-142 is a Soviet Maritime Reconnaissance and Anti-Submarine (ASW) Aircraft. It was designed by the Tuplev Design Bureau. It was manufactured by the Kuibyshev Aviation and Taganorg Machinery Plants in 1994. This Aircraft design is used by the Russian Navy still today. On December 1984, India signed an agreement to procure eight TU-142s for its maritime security from former Soviet Union till March 2017, for a period 29 years. The aircraft was retired on 27 March 2017 during a ceremony held at the INS Rajali Airbase. This aircraft is one of the world’s largest and oldest and has served in Indian Navy for a period of 29 years. The TU-142M Participated in all major exercise and Operation Cactus in Maldives and Operation Vijay in 1998. It also Participated as the first Indian Naval aircraft in the Republic Day Fly Past in 1999 in new Delhi. When the Russian Air Force decommissions its fleet of Tuplove TU-142/TU-95 bombers sometime after 2040, the TU-142/TU-95 will have been in service for...

Location The museum is located in DJ Block, Narkel Bagan, Action Area I of New Town, Kolkata, next to the New Town police station.

History

The initiative for a military museum was taken by the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA). It is second museum of its kind in the country, after Visakhapatnam. West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (HIDCO) wants to build attraction zones at each leg of Kolkata Gate. So, a two-acre land that was chosen by HIDCO near the gate. After completion, KMDA will handover the museum to HIDCO.The museum is being built in phases. The first phase was clearing and flattening the land, erecting the foundation, reassembly and installation of the aircraft.The next phase includes identification of an architect to design the layout of the museum.Initially, the opening of the museum was expected by mid-2020, but it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown.

Aircraft on display

A decommissioned, 29-year-old Tupolev Tu-142 of the Indian Navy was handed over to the government of West Bengal in February 2020, for setting up the aircraft museum. The aircraft was brought from INS Rajali, Arakkonam in Tamil Nadu, in pieces on sixteen trucks.Transportation and installation costs are being borne by the state government.Reassembly process of the aircraft was started by KMDA, in March 2020.Other exhibits for its interior and surroundings like a mannequin pilot, bombs, machinery etc. will be developed by the Navy. The architect responsible for Master Plan and Illumination Design of the Museum is Debmalya Guha of PACE Consultants Kolkata. The museum was inaugurated by Smt. Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal, on 8 June 2022. Apart from the aircraft on display, there is a small children's park and a coffee shop.

Highly recommended...