The long-range anti-submarine and reconnaissance aircraft, nicknamed the Albatross for its wingspan, that was parked next to the New Town police station since the start of 2020 was opened to public viewing on Wednesday with chief minister Mamata Banerjee inaugurating the Aircraft Museum.
The Indian Navy’s decommissioned TU-142, built in the Soviet Union, had been handed over to the KMDA in end-2019. It was dismantled for transportation and was put together on site over the last couple of years.
The aircraft was the heaviest, fastest and highest flying turbo propeller ever made in the world and was a mainstay of the Navy for almost three decades. A total of eight Tupolev-142Ms were part of major naval exercises and operations, including Op. Cactus (1988) at Maldives, Op. Vijay at Kargil (1999), and Op. Parakram (2002). Spread over 2.2 acres in DG Block, the museum is a second of its kind in India after the one in Visakhapatnam.
