Air Force Station Hashimara is located in West Bengal, close to the Buxa Tiger Reserve and the Jaldapara Sanctuary. It provides air defence cover over a narrow land corridor stretching from Bangladesh to Nepal and Bhutan. The air power from this base can be projected over entire Bangladesh and some major Chinese airfields in Tibet Autonomous Region. Hasimara wasn't always an air force base. It started as a private air strip used by Dakota aircraft of Jam Air and Kalinga Air. After the 1962 Sino Indian war, Air Force Station Hasimara was set up on April 7, 1963. The pioneers of the Station literally lived in jungles and virtually shared space with wild animals. In those days, a single metre gauge railway line was the only link between Hasimara and rest of the country. Road links were non-existent. By September 1963, the base had two squadrons of Toofani aircraft. In January 1964, a helicopter Units with Mi-4 helicopters also moved into Hasimara. By the mid 1970s the base came to be called the House of Hunters' hosting three squadrons of Hunter aircraft. During the decade, MiG-21 fighters also operated from the base for five years. The MiGs were back for another stint at the base between 1985 to 1987.