View source for Air Force Station Arjan Singh

{{short description|Indian Air Force Station in  West Bengal, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2018}}
{{Infobox airport
| name = Air Force Station Arjan Singh
| ensign = Roundel of India.svg
| image = Indian Air Force C-130J.jpg
| caption = Indian Air Force C-130J
| IATA = 
| ICAO = VEPH
| pushpin_map = India West Bengal#India
| pushpin_relief = 
| pushpin_map_caption = Air Force Station Arjan Singh
| pushpin_label = Air Force Station Arjan Singh
| pushpin_label_position = bottom
| type = Military ([[Indian Air Force]])
| owner = 
| operator = [[Eastern Air Command (India)|Eastern Air Command]]
| city-served = [[Indian Air Force]]
| location = [[Panagarh]], [[West Bengal]]
| elevation-f = 240
| elevation-m = 73
| coordinates = {{Coord|23|28|28|N|087|25|39|E|region:IN-WB_type:airport}}
| website = 
| metric-rwy = y
| r1-number = 15/33
| r1-length-m = 2,743
| r1-length-f = 9,000
| r1-surface = [[Concrete]] / [[asphalt]]
| footnotes = Source: [[DAFIF]]<ref name="WAD">[http://www.worldaerodata.com/wad.cgi?airport=VEPH Airport information for VEPH] from [[DAFIF]] (effective October 2006)</ref>
}}

'''Air Force Station Arjan Singh''' {{airport codes||VEPH}}, formerly '''Panagarh Airport''', is an [[airport]] serving the city of [[Panagarh]],<ref name="WAD" /> in the [[States and territories of India|state]] of [[West Bengal]] in [[India]]. Now it is an Air Force base under [[Eastern Air Command (India)|
Eastern Air Command]] of [[Indian Air Force]].

==Units==
* [[No. 87 Squadron IAF|No. 87 Squadron]] ([[Lockheed C-130J Super Hercules]])
* [[BAE Systems Hawk|BAE Hawk]]

==History==
During [[World War II]], the airport was used as a supply transport airfield from 1942 to 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]].<ref>{{Air Force Historical Research Agency}}</ref><ref>Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. {{ISBN|0-89201-092-4}}.</ref>

The airport has numerous wartime relics, with abandoned taxiways and a large concrete parking ramp remaining, although not used and in a deteriorating state.

In 2018 the airport was renamed after [[Arjan Singh]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Panagarh airbase renamed after former IAF chief Arjan Singh |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/panagarh-airbase-renamed-after-former-iaf-chief-arjan-singh/articleshow/51841176.cms |access-date=24 November 2019 |work=[[The Economic Times]] |date=11 July 2018}}</ref>

==Facilities==
The airport is at an [[elevation]] of 73&nbsp;m (240&nbsp;ft) above [[mean sea level]]. It has one [[runway]] designated 15/33 with an [[asphalt]] surface measuring 2743&nbsp;m by 46&nbsp;m (9000&nbsp;ft by 150&nbsp;ft).<ref name="WAD" />

The Air Force is planning to deploy six mid-air refueling 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.
AFS Arjan Singh is another training base for Paratroopers. [[Paratrooper Training School]] in Agra have already set up their base here to train Special Forces for operations at night, even beyond the country's borders.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Gupta|first=Jayanta|title=Panagarh base to turn into Special Forces training hub|work=[[The Times of India]] Oct 7, 2017, 07:18 IST|location=Kolkata|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/panagarh-base-to-turn-into-special-forces-training-hub/articleshow/60979263.cms|access-date=11 April 2021}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{ASN|VEPH}}

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{{Airports in India}}
{{USAAF 10th Air Force World War II}}
{{Bardhaman topics}}

{{Indian Air Force}}

[[Category:Indian Air Force bases]]
[[Category:Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in British India]]
[[Category:Airports in West Bengal]]
[[Category:Transport in Durgapur]]
[[Category:Year of establishment missing]]