Karwar: Karnataka government and the Indian Navy signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on handing over of a Tupolev TU 142M aircraft on March 3.
The Indian Navy's long-range maritime patrol aircraft TU 142M, which played a key role in operations including the IPKF mission in Sri Lanka, was de-inducted after 29 years of accident-free service.
Following which the state government wanted to convert the aircraft into an aviation museum, placing it alongside the Chapal Warship Museum at Rabindranath Tagore Beach in Karwar.
In a press conference after signing of the MoU, Uttara Kannada deputy commissioner K Harish Kumar and Officer Commanding of the Karnataka Naval Area (FOK) Rear Admiral Mahesh Singh talked about the significance of the initiative.
Karwar soon to get Tupolev Aircraft Museum "Tupolev TU 142M aircraft is one of the biggest and fastest turbo-propeller aircraft in the world. Once set up, the aircraft will become an iconic structure in Karwar and will attract a lot of tourists. The Tupolev aircraft have been gifted by the Navy to Visakhapatnam and Kolkata and now Karwar is the third city to receive it," said Rear Admiral Mahesh Singh.
Speaking to reporters, Rear Admiral Mahesh Singh also thanked the people of Karwar for their cooperation.
The aircraft museum will display dioramas, models and photos of important operations taken up by the Navy.
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"We propose to complete the work by December and get the museum inaugurated on Navy Day. The Navy is bearing transportation and assembling costs. We will have to only spend on maintenance, "Uttara Kannada deputy commissioner K Harish Kumar said.
