How important is Jammu Air Force Station to the Indian Air Force?

Ground Report | New Delhi: How important is Jammu Air Force; Two major explosions took place inside the Air Force station at Jammu airport late Saturday night in a span of just five minutes. Officials said the blast took place around 1.30 pm. The first explosion caused the roof of a building in the airport's technical area to collapse. 

The Air Force takes over the maintenance of this location and the second explosion took place on the ground. There was no immediate information about any casualties. However, there seems to be a deepening of suspicion on Pakistan, because if sources are to be believed, two drones were used for this blast and the targets were Indian Air Force aircraft.

In such a situation, now the question arises whether the target of the drone was the aircraft of the Indian Air Force, was there a conspiracy to repeat the Pathankot attack again? Central agencies along with the police have gathered to find answers to all these questions. 

An NIA team has also reached to investigate the incident from the terrorist angle. If sources are to be believed, the Indian Air Force's high-level investigation team has also left for Jammu. Sources said that the likely target of the drone was an Indian Air Force aircraft parked in the area.

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How important is Jammu Air Force Station to the Indian Air Force?

Jammu airport is a domestic airport located just 14 kilometers from the international border between India and Pakistan.

It is one of the strategic assets of the Indian Air Force in this region as it is from here that links and supplies to various areas are operated. Most helicopters used for goods vehicles and most operations to provide relief in case of casualties or disasters are also conducted from this base.

This station is one of the oldest airports of the Indian Air Force and it is here that the No. 1 Wing was formed on 10 March 1948. This wing operated from Srinagar during summers and from Jammu during winters.

23 Wing was formed in Jammu on 25 January 1963 under the command of Wing Commander J. Andrews and No. 1 Wing were permanently shifted to Srinagar.

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Before independence, the place where the Sialkot-Jammu railway line ended is today the Jammu Air Force station.

Jammu Air Force Station is the most important place for helicopters to stay. Initially, only Mi-4 helicopters were here, but after that Chetak and now the Mi-17 helicopter of 130 Helicopter Unit has the same stop.

These helicopters are the most reliable means of help in the challenging conditions of Jammu and Kashmir. The maintenance of the world's 'highest battlefield' Siachen Glacier is ensured with the help of these helicopters. Due to its importance in the protection of Siachen Glacier, this station has been given the name of "Guardian of the Glacier".

The Jammu Air Force Station has always been the main source of support for the Indian Army in this area. Whether it was to provide logistics support to the soldiers on the front during the Kargil operation or to bring back the injured soldiers.

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