Indian Air Force digs into British records to digitise its history

Ajay Banerjee

New Delhi, January 21

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has started archiving and digitising the history of its operations, wars and warriors by digging into multiple old archival repositories in the United Kingdom, the National Archives of India in the Capital and records of its squadrons.

Project Marut

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• Project Marut is named after first indigenous jet fighter HF-24 Marut produced by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in the 1960s
• It aims to collate, digitise and archive historical records of the Air Force, making them accessible for research and study
• The plan is to digitise all de-classified material and make it available at the upcoming IAF Museum in New Delhi

Project Marut, named after first indigenous jet fighter HF-24 Marut produced by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in the 1960s, aims to collate, digitise and archive historical records of the Air Force, making them accessible for research and study. The plan is to digitise all de-classified material and make it available at the upcoming IAF Museum in New Delhi, said an official.

He said records of the period between 1947 to mid-1950s were sketchy, that’s why several retired soldiers had been approached for more details. The pre-1947 records have been obtained from the United Kingdom. The records of 1947-48, 1965 and 1971 wars are any way declassified and available.

The project was initiated by Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari. In May last year, the IAF Heritage Centre was opened at Chandigarh by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. It houses Indian Air Force’s rich history and legacy, a collection of artefacts, murals and 3D dioramas, showcasing the evolution of the force since its inception. It displays the heroic deeds of the IAF and the country’s technological progress in aircraft equipment.