The Last of the Iskras
By the time the Iskra’s were being phased out, there were still 34 Iskras in service. Only about 10 to 12 were in serviceable enough to be flown around, with the rest AOG.
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| W-1791 and W-1772 are the oldest and the newest operative Iskras in the IAF inventory. While 91 was procured in 1993, “72” arrived in 2000. | W-1748 and W-1757 parked in the Hangar. | |
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W-1744 and W-1792 | |
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W-1755 | |
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W-1759 arrived in February 2000 as a replacement for an earlier aircraft. | |
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W-1758 seen behind W-1759 has been flown to the IAF Museum in Palam. | |
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W-1741, W-1759, W1758 and W-1760 lined up at Hakimpet | |
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Head on view of W-1741 | |
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W-1741 was a replacement for the first Iskra in IAF Service. This aircraft 3H-0903 arrived on 28th October 1996 | |
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W-1760 was another aircraft that took part in the last day flypast as well as at the Passing out parade at Dundigal two days later. | |
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Ghosts of the Past: These aircraft have been withdrawn from use, and stored out on the katcha ground. | |
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More Iskras parked behind the main hangars. | |
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A wider shot reveals a total of nine unidentified Iskras mothballed and lying behind the main tarmac area. Another eight or so aircraft are stored away at a different place. |
Atleast 27 of the 34 Iskra airframes have been allocated either for preservation or for Ground Instructional duties at various institutions in Training Command. Apart from the aircraft given to the AFA Dundigal, Iskras earmarked for preservations are slated to be sent to the IAF Museum, Palam, HQ Training Command in Bangalore, Station Museum Hakimpet and Flying Instructor School at Tambaram.