RomanStrock4259 at 12:38, 16 August 2025

2025-08-16T12:38:23Z

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{{Short description|Air Force base in Assam, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2018}}
{{Infobox airport
| name = Chabua Air Force Station
| ensign = [[File:Roundel of India.svg|60px]]
| image = Chabuaaf-1944.jpg
| image-width = 250
| caption = The base in 1944
| IATA =
| ICAO = VECA
| type = Military
| owner =
| operator = [[Indian Air Force]]
| location = [[Chabua]], [[Assam]], [[India]]
| elevation-f = 367
| elevation-m = 112
| coordinates = {{Coord|27|27|44|N|095|07|05|E|type:airport}}
| pushpin_map = India Assam#India
| pushpin_relief = 1
| pushpin_label = '''VECA'''
| pushpin_map_caption = Location of Chabua Air Force Station, India
| website =
| metric-rwy = y
| r1-number = 05/23
| r1-length-f = 9,003
| r1-length-m = 2,744
| r1-surface = [[Asphalt concrete|Asphalt]]
| footnotes =
}}
{{OSM Location map
| coord = {{coord|27|27|46|N|95|07|06|E}} 
| float = right 
| zoom = 10
| width = 255
| height = 255
| caption = {{center| Chabua Air Force Station near Arunachal Pradesh }}

| label = Chabua Air Force Station
| mark-title = Chabua Air Force Station
| mark-description = Chabua Air Force Station
| mark-coord = {{coord|27|27|46|N|95|07|06|E}}
| mark = Green pog.svg 
| mark-size = 10
| mark-image =
| label-size = 10
| label-color = dark grey
| label-pos = right
| shape =
| shape-color =
| shape-outline =
}}

'''Chabua Air Force Station''' {{airport codes||VECA}} is an [[Indian Air Force]] base located at [[Chabua]] of [[Dibrugarh]] district in the [[States and territories of India|state]] of [[Assam]], [[India]].

==History==
===US Air Force===
This Base was built in 1939. During [[World War II]] it was a major supply point for the ferrying of supplies to Generalissimo [[Chiang Kai-shek]]'s forces in and around [[Kunming, China]]. This was known as "[[Flying the Hump]]".

The [[Burma Campaign|Japanese occupation of Burma]] in 1942 had cut off the [[Burma Road]], the last land route by which the Allies could deliver aid to the Chinese Government of Chiang Kai-shek. Until the [[Burma Road]] could be retaken and the [[Ledo Road]] completed, the only supply route available was the costly and dangerous route for transport planes over the Himalayas between India's [[Assam Valley]] and Kunming, China. This route became known as the [[Himalayan Hump]] or simply [[The Hump]].

Operated initially by the [[United States Army Air Forces]] Ferrying Command (later [[Air Transport Command (United States Air Force)|Air Transport Command]]) China Ferrying Command (later ATC India China Wing). The 1st Ferrying (later Transport) Group operated three squadrons of [[C-47 Skytrain]] and [[C-46 Commando]] aircraft from Chabua. The airfield was also an important layover stop of the ATC [[Karachi]]-[[Kunming]] air transport route. Flights operated west to [[Agra Airport]], [[Willingdon Airfield]] ([[New Delhi]]), [[Gaya Airport]], [[Assam]] ([[Borjhar Airport]]) and east into [[Dali Airport]], and [[Kunming, China|Kunming]] ([[Wujiaba Airport]]) in [[China]]

While the route kept the transports relatively free from enemy attack (Enemy action destroyed only seven aircraft, killing 13 men) it led over rugged terrain, through violent storms, with snow and ice at the higher altitudes the planes flew over the mountains. Flying the Himalayan Hump would turn out to be some of the most dangerous flying in the world. Over the course of action there were 460 aircraft and 792 men lost. Still, the operations were a success. There were 167,285 trips that moved 740,000 tons of material to support Chinese troops and other Allied forces.

In addition to the ATC transport units, elements of the [[Tenth Air Force]] [[380th Bombardment Group]], [[375th Bombardment Squadron]] operated [[B-24 Liberator]]s from the airfield, flying long range bombardment missions into [[Burma]], south [[China]], [[Thailand]] ([[Bangkok]]) and well as [[French Indochina]] ([[Haiphong]]). A total of 8 B-24s were lost. Also the B-24s were used to ferry aircraft fuel into China.

== Indian Air Force ==
The airfield was abandoned after World War II. IAF commenced operations from this airfield in 1962 amid increased tensions with China and following the [[annexation of Tibet by the People's Republic of China]]. Initially Dakotas and Vampires, later Hunters, Otters and Mi-4 helicopters commenced air operations from Chabua air base. In the mid-seventies, subsequent to the runway upgradation and renovation.

=== Squadrons ===
[[No. 102 Squadron IAF]]

No. 14 Wing

==See also==

* [[Air Transport Command (United States Air Force)|Air Transport Command]]

==References==
<references />
* {{Air Force Historical Research Agency}}
* Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. {{ISBN|0-89201-092-4}}.
* {{GCM|VECA}}

==External links==
{{Commons-inline}}
* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/india/chabua.htm Chabua Air Force Base] at GlobalSecurity.org
* https://web.archive.org/web/20070910030113/http://www.usaaf.net/ww2/airlift/airliftpg7.htm
* https://web.archive.org/web/20070730081323/http://warren421.home.comcast.net/history.html

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

{{Indian Air Force}}

[[Category:Indian Air Force bases]]
[[Category:Transport in Dibrugarh]]
[[Category:Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in British India]]
[[Category:Airports in Assam]]
[[Category:Military airbases established in 1939]]
[[Category:1939 establishments in India]]
[[Category:World War II sites in India]]
[[Category:20th-century architecture in India]]

Chabua Air Force Station - Revision history

RomanStrock4259 at 12:38, 16 August 2025