RAF Kalyan

RAF Kalyan was a Royal Air Force station located at Nevali village 6 km south of Kalyan, operational during World War II in British India. It was built by converting the existing Kalyan Airstrip for military use. Several Fighter Squadrons and support units were stationed at Kalyan from 1942 to 1947.[1]The field was abandoned after the war.

RAF Kalyan

Remains of the abandoned NE-SW Runway of RAF Kalyan as seen in May 2022.
Summary
Airport typeMilitary
OperatorRoyal Air Force
LocationKalyan, Maharashtra, India
Elevation AMSL60 ft / 20 m
Coordinates19°10′27.8″N 073°08′10.8″E / 19.174389°N 73.136333°E / 19.174389; 73.136333
Map
RAF Kalyan is located in India
RAF Kalyan
RAF Kalyan
Location in India
Runways
DirectionLengthSurface
ftm
08/266,0001,830Concrete
03/216,0001,830Concrete
UnitDatesAircraft
No. 20 Squadron RAF1945–1946Supermarine Spitfire, Hawker Tempest
No. 110 Squadron RAFMarch 1942Vultee Vengeance, de Havilland Mosquito
No. 7110 Servicing Echelon30 Sep – 6 Oct 1944
No. 3 Mobile Parachute Servicing Unit1945 – Jan 1946
No 129 Staging post31 Jan – 7 Apr 1945

Current use

The two abandoned runways have been encroached upon by local population and now host dirt roads serving nearby villages. The southern end of the site now hosts a research and development laboratory of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).[2]

Satellite image overlayed onto the historical locations of RAF Kalyan with its two runways.

See also

References