Thanjavur: Strengthening India's presence in the Indian Ocean region, the defence minister A K Antony on Monday dedicated to the nation a new Air Force Base at Thanjavur in a colourful ceremony in the presence of Air Chief Marshal N A K Browne, Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Jolly, commanding-in-chief, southern air command (SAC) and other civilian dignitaries.
"Thanjavur airbase is going to be another strategically important air base in the southern peninsula under the control of southern air command and the establishment of this premier fighter base assumes significance in view of the current geo-political scenario and security perceptions in the oceanic region around the peninsula," Antony said.
The government decided to increase the country's air power capabilities in the southern peninsula to provide air defence protection to the high value national installations and the island territories. There was also a growing need to protect India's maritime trade, and so the government decided to create a southern air command in Trivandrum in 1984 when it gave approval for the formation of 47-wing in Thanjavur which the IAF took over in March 1990 from the Airport Authority of India to whom the erstwhile Royal Air Force had been handed over after Independence.
28/05/13 Times of India
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"Thanjavur airbase is going to be another strategically important air base in the southern peninsula under the control of southern air command and the establishment of this premier fighter base assumes significance in view of the current geo-political scenario and security perceptions in the oceanic region around the peninsula," Antony said.
The government decided to increase the country's air power capabilities in the southern peninsula to provide air defence protection to the high value national installations and the island territories. There was also a growing need to protect India's maritime trade, and so the government decided to create a southern air command in Trivandrum in 1984 when it gave approval for the formation of 47-wing in Thanjavur which the IAF took over in March 1990 from the Airport Authority of India to whom the erstwhile Royal Air Force had been handed over after Independence.
28/05/13 Times of India
