The Indian Air Force Museum Palam, is the museum of the Indian Air Force (IAF), and is located at the Palam Air Force Station in Delhi Cantonment, New Delhi, India.[1]
It was established in 1967 and exhibits details about combat operations undertaken by the air force depicting its history since its formation in 1932. Also on display are various aircraft and equipment on the IAF’s inventory since its inception.[2]
The museum was the only one of its kind in India until the opening of the Naval Aviation Museum in Goa in 1998 and HAL Aerospace Museum in Bangalore in 2001.
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The Museum entrance features an indoor display gallery that contains historic photographs, memorabilia, uniforms and personal weapons of the Indian Air Force from its inception in 1932. The gallery leads to a hangar exhibiting small aircraft and Air Force inventory including anti-aircraft guns, vehicles and ordnance. Larger aircraft are exhibited outside the hangar. The outdoor gallery contains aircraft as well as several war trophies, radar equipment and captured enemy vehicles.
The Vintage Aircraft Flight services some rare aircraft and maintains them in an airworthy condition. These aircraft are not normally accessible by the general public. Large transport aircraft are stored on the apron of the airbase due to lack of space. These aircraft are displayed only on the annual Air Force Day, October 8. The museum has a small souvenir shop.[3][4]
To improve the presentation of aircraft and to better preserve the historic aircraft, the Indian Air Force decided to procure more space and shift the museum to a location more accessible by the masses. A new site, spread over 43 acres, near the domestic terminal of the airport was chosen. The then Chief of Air Staff and Chairman Chief of Staff Committee, Air Chief MarshalSP Tyagi, laid the foundation stone for the project on 1 December 2006.[5]
The new Aerospace museum will have two main types of displays, indoor and outdoor. The outdoor displays would have aircraft parked and hung in flying altitude with mural depicting the era and atmosphere of its time of operation. The children’s area would also be created where children could enter cockpits of display aircraft.
In October 2020, the Military Engineer Services invited bids for construction of the museum in October 2020 at an estimated cost of Rupees 240 crores.[6]
