Canberra retires after 50 yrs of service

Canberra retires after 50 yrs of service

When it avoided gunfire over Aksai Chin in 1962 to collect the first evidence of Chinese intrusions, few would have thought that the hardy Canberra aircraft would carry on to serve till the end of the century and even return with a Stinger missile embedded in its fuselage during operations in Kargil.

After 50 years of service and participation in all post-Independence conflicts, the British Electric Canberra aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) retired from service on Friday. India was the last country to have the aircraft in an operational role.
Summing up the mood in an emotional phasing out ceremony at the Agra Air Force Station, Air Chief Marshal F H Major observed that the aircraft had been “the eyes of the nation” and “of those who flew it, many are now legends”.
“The aircraft has the distinction of participating in all conflicts right from the (1961) Congo UN operations and the Goa conflict to Operation Safed Sagar in Kargil. It is a sad moment, but the aircraft have to go,” the Air Chief said.
The aircraft, inducted in 1957 as India’s first tactical jet bombers, carried on to serve a variety of roles including electronic warfare, maritime strike, strategic reconnaissance and target towing. The highest decorated living officer of the Indian Air Force, Wing Commander (retd) J M Nath, awarded the Maha Vir Chakra twice during the 1962 and 1965 wars, was among the ‘legends’ present at the phasing out ceremony. “It was an absolute delight to fly. In 1962, I flew the aircraft 50 meters off the ground in Aksai Chin to get an estimation of the Chinese army positions. If only we had been allowed to use air power during the war, each and every soldier and military target could have been taken out by the aircraft,” he said.
After being taken off frontline duties like bombing and deep reconnaissance missions, some of the aircraft formed part of India’s first top-secret electronic warfare unit. “It was a very hush-hush project to create an electronic warfare (EW) squadron. We used to go deep into Pakistan and would jam enemy radars and collect information about their systems,” former Air Chief S Krishnaswamy, who commanded India’s EW squadron consisting of modified Canberra and MiG 21 aircraft, said. The twin-engined high-altitude bomber played a crucial role during the Kargil conflict and brought the first aerial photographs of enemy entrenchments.