Panagarh Airport

Panagarh Airport is an airport serving Panagarh, in the state of West Bengal in India. It also serves as an Indian Air Force base.HistoryDuring World War II, the airport was used as a supply transport airfield from 1942-1945 by the United States Army Air Forces Tenth Air Force and as a repair and maintenance depot for B-24 Liberator heavy bombers by Air Technical Service Command.The airport has numerous wartime relics, with abandoned taxiways and a large concrete parking ramp remaining, although not used and in a deteriorating state.FacilitiesThe airport resides at an elevation of 240ft above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 15/33 with an asphalt surface measuring 2743x. The Air Force is planning to deploy six mid-air refuelling tanker aircraft at Panagarh air base in West Bengal. With the deployment of these tanker aircraft in Panagarh, the striking range of fighter planes like Su-30 MKIs based in Tezpur and Chabua (both in Assam) will be enhanced as these can get fuel mid-air.Panagarh is also the likely location of a proposed Army Mountain Corps headquarter.