One of the TU-142M Long Range Maritime Patrol aircraft of the Indian Navy which has been de-inducted from active service after its 29 years of dedicated service to the nation will be arriving Visakhapatnam on 8 April, 2017 today.
The aircraft will land for the final time at INS Dega in the presence of CM Nara Chandrababu Naidu, P Ashok Gajapathi Raju – Union Civil Aviation Minister, Vice Admiral HCS Bisht, PVSM, AVSM, ADC, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command and host of other Civil Dignitaries at a special ceremony scheduled at INS Dega.
On the sidelines of the event, the Chief Minister will interact with the family members of the NAD personnel reported missing in the Indian Air Force AN-32 aircraft last July and disburse ex-gratia of Rs. 5 lakhs to each family sanctioned by Govt. of Andhra Pradesh.
TU-142M aircraft was the heaviest, fastest and highest flying turbo prop in the world which had been the mainstay of Long Range maritime reconnaissance and Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW) Operations of the Indian Navy for close to three decades. Govt. of Andhra Pradesh has earlier requested the Ministry of Defence for allotment of one de-inducted TU-142M for setting up as an aircraft museum on the Beach Road near Kursura Submarine Museum. The request is under consideration at the Ministry of Defence. Once approved, the City of Destiny, Visakhapatnam can boast of having this unique aircraft displayed in vicinity of the already existing Kursura Submarine Museum.
