THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The city, rich in history and culture, is also a welcoming destination for military enthusiasts, thanks to the vast collection of army equipment displayed in various establishments, like the Aakulam Air Force Museum.
Shaped like an airplane, the museum is situated near the Southern Air Command. Offering an informative tour through the history of IAF, it is a must-visit for defence enthusiasts. The museum is divided into two parts: A motivation room and an operational room.
The motivation room comprises the different uniforms worn by IAF personnel, including the summer uniform (light blue shirt and dark blue pants) and the field dress or the combat uniform.
Also on display are the overalls usually worn by pilots and tradesmen. One can also see a Rafele aircraft that the Indian government bought from France in 2016.
Motivational quotes and frames of activities like passing out parades of airmen and officers that take place in Belagavi, Karnataka (for airmen), and AFA Dundigal, Hyderabad (for officers) adorn the walls. A section is dedicated for the Air Force Wives Welfare Association, or AFWWA.
The operational room houses Air Force equipment, and aircraft and missile models. On display are models and frames of various aircraft, including Sukhoi Su-30MKI (developed by Russia), Dassault Mirage 2000 (flight used for the Balakot Operation), Mikoyan MiG-21 Bison, Antonov An-32, Embraer ERJ 145, Pilatus PC-7 Mk II (trainee aircraft developed by Switzerland), Lockheed (developed by the US), SEPECAT Jaguar (French-built), HAL Tejas (built by HAL), Hawk Mk132 (used by Air Force acrobatic team Surya Kiran for air shows, British-bulit) and the famous Dassault ‘Toofani’ Ouragan (known for it’s contribution in the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965).
Then there are the missiles and equipment used by pilots during a flight, including the BrahMos (supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarines built under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russian Federation’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya), Rudram (indigenously-built supersonic and hypersonic air-to-surface attack and anti-radiation missile by DRDO), Akash (India’s first indigenously produced surface-to-air missile), Astra (an air-to-air missile designed by DRDO), and Meteor (radar-guided beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile, developed by BVRAAM).
There is also a flight simulator, which is currently inoperational and is expected to be repaired in the coming days. A life-size model of the Surya Kiran aircraft outside the museum completes the experience.