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This is an archive article published on August 21, 2023
Know Your City: At Bengaluru’s Old Airport Road, Indian aviation through the centuries is on display
India has been the longest-running operator of these venerable jets even after their original manufacturers set them aside.
A large number of replicas and aeroplanes are on display at the museum. (Express Photo)
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Know Your City: At Bengaluru’s Old Airport Road, Indian aviation through the centuries is on display
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Bengaluru’s Old Airport Road is no longer the destination for travellers flying outside the city, but every so often, the roar of a jet still splits the air. It is also here, at the HAL Heritage Centre and Aerospace Museum, that aviation aficionados can take a look at the history of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Indian military aviation.
Apart from information on the history of flight in India, a large number of replicas and aeroplanes are on display at the museum.
The first display that visitors can see as they enter the museum is a HAL-HF 24 Marut trainer aircraft. The Maruts were the first indigenous fighter jet design, notably used by the Indian Air Force (IAF) alongside Hawker Hunter jets to devastate Pakistani tanks at the Battle of Longewala in 1971. The lead designer of this aircraft was none other than German engineer Kurt Tank, who had famously designed the Focke-Wulf 190, one of Germany’s workhorse fighters during World War II.
Not far from it is a Bison-trainer variant of the MiG-21. In service with IAF since 1964, with various upgrades and variants over the years, India has been the longest-running operator of these venerable jets even after their original manufacturers set them aside.
Aside from displays of modern aircraft such as the HAL Tejas and Lakshya drone, replicas of lesser-known aircraft are also on display.
One of these is HAL Ajeet, a derivative of the British Folland Gnat that came into service with IAF in 1977. Unlike the Folland Gnat, however, which had achieved fame as a “Sabre Slayer” against Pakistani Sabre jets in air combat, HAL Ajeet did not achieve the same renown, going out of service in 1991.
Express Photo
Other displays go back to the very dawn of jet engines in military aviation. For example, the Canberra, a bombing and reconnaissance aircraft designed in 1949, five years after the introduction of the German Messerschmitt 262.
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Helicopters such as the Advanced Light Helicopter, along with a Sea King transport and anti-submarine helicopter from the Naval Air Arm can also be seen at the museum. It also hosts a variety of turboprop planes built as trainers and flying club aircraft by HAL, along with indoor displays of jet engines.
A separate complex hosts historical photographs and displays breaking down the history of HAL decade by decade. Some of the earliest photographs underline HAL’s Karnataka connection, with visits by members of the Mysore legislature in the late 1940s, and a few years later, by the king and queen of Iran, hosted by then chief minister Kengal Hanumanthiah.
For those who wish to get even closer to the cockpit of a jet, the museum also offers two flight simulators to try out after paying a separate fee.
Visitors can visit the museum on all days of the week, at a charge of Rs 50 per adult, with additional charges for the use of mobile and other cameras. The fee must be paid via credit or debit card.
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