Indian Air Force Stations.

[SQ8]

Discussion should be meaningful, any attempt to ridicule either side will result in dual infractions.
Happy discussing.

 

[OrionHunter]

The peculiar design patterns used in the construction of Indian Air Bases, makes them obvious from the air, more so the Hardened Aircraft Shelters (HAS) and the dispersal areas.

Good! Now all you guys have to do is bomb the crap out of them!

 

[kṣamā]

Damn !! All these "secret" bases have been unearthed !!

Anyways having a picture of an enemy may be the half a battle but the second half is where the fun starts.

 

[MilSpec]

What exactly does th OP want to convey by "The peculiar design patterns ".

What are the design patterns that the OP is aware of w.r.t construction and design of hangars for operational airbases which may be invisible to sat imagery? I for one am lost to undertand the design features evident from these images. As far as you PAF guy is concerned, I can dispute open ended PAS claim, I have been there, the ones i have seen aren't . What he might referring to is deployable blast pens.

Next, what exactly is peculiar about the dispersal areas, and how are other dispersal zones different??

BTW hint in two of the images " there are blast pens which can housing 2-5 a/c's " spot one if you can or ask your PAF guy to!

 

[Windjammer]

What exactly does th OP want to convey by "The peculiar design patterns ".

What are the design patterns that the OP is aware of w.r.t construction and design of hangars for operational airbases which may be invisible to sat imagery? I for one am lost to undertand the design features evident from these images. As far as you PAF guy is concerned, I can dispute open ended PAS claim, I have been there, the ones i have seen aren't . What he might referring to is deployable blast pens.

Next, what exactly is peculiar about the dispersal areas, and how are other dispersal zones different??

BTW hint in two of the images " there are blast pens which can housing 2-5 a/c's " spot one if you can or ask your PAF guy to!

Since i'm at work, I'll post other details later but as for you disputing the HAS not open at both ends, closely look at the following image.

 

[third eye]

In a hostile situation its unlikely anymore that one AF catches another with its AC on the ground.

What therefore is more relevant is to put the runway out of action for as long a period of time as possible.

Runways , blast pens etc are all fixed targets like a bridge- we both have missiles.

 

[SQ8]

What exactly does th OP want to convey by "The peculiar design patterns ".

What are the design patterns that the OP is aware of w.r.t construction and design of hangars for operational airbases which may be invisible to sat imagery? I for one am lost to undertand the design features evident from these images. As far as you PAF guy is concerned, I can dispute open ended PAS claim, I have been there, the ones i have seen aren't . What he might referring to is deployable blast pens.

Next, what exactly is peculiar about the dispersal areas, and how are other dispersal zones different??

BTW hint in two of the images " there are blast pens which can housing 2-5 a/c's " spot one if you can or ask your PAF guy to!

The peculiar design patterns are actually very interesting in the sense that they all seem to curve away , possibly trying to block attack paths ?
The double open ended shelters and dual paths offer an advantage in the sense that if one section or one end of the taxiway is hit , the aircraft can simply taxi out the other end and still enter combat.

 

[Windjammer]

In a hostile situation its unlikely anymore that one AF catches another with its AC on the ground.

What therefore is more relevant is to put the runway out of action for as long a period of time as possible.

Runways , blast pens etc are all fixed targets like a bridge- we both have missiles.

Thanks for bringing that up, now one doesn't need to be a military expert to conclude that a couple of well placed Durandals targeting the intersection on each side of the three aprons (Circles) will ground all the aircraft in the Clover leaf designed Shelter area, until the track can be satisfactorily repaired.

 

[Capt.Popeye]

The peculiar design patterns are actually very interesting in the sense that they all seem to curve away , possibly trying to block attack paths ?
The double open ended shelters and dual paths offer an advantage in the sense that if one section or one end of the taxiway is hit , the aircraft can simply taxi out the other end and still enter combat.

Oscar, you're getting there. Two means of ingress/egress certainly improves operability in Combat Conditions.
Even the orientation of the HAS has a purpose, never mind the "Peculiar Design Patterns".

Now would the "purported" PAF gent who got quoted earlier try to explain the chances of a 'down the throat' attack into the HAS?

Of course if he is real and is a fighter pilot!

 

[Abingdonboy]

What a silly thread, OP is not trying to ignite an a fair and balanced intellectual debate, rather ridicule the IAF for what he sees as "peculiar" but I'm sure have genuine technical basis behind them. The IAF is a proffesional force and the fact that the designs seem to be uniformed show this is a deliberate design which must be sound enough to be replicated, the IAF isn't some AF with SFs full of money to send on whatever they like, if this is the design they have implemented there must be some utility in it. So of the greatest and most revolutionary designs of anything in the world have looked "peculiar" to go by superfical looks alone is absurd. Your PAF freind (if there even is one) should know better.

 

[Manas]

The way i see it , the reason behind such design patterns in dispersal of HAS could be to facilitate ACs entering and exiting HAS independently by not having to make queues for it in the time of emergency.

 

[SQ8]

Oscar, you're getting there. Two means of ingress/egress certainly improves operability in Combat Conditions.
Even the orientation of the HAS has a purpose, never mind the "Peculiar Design Patterns".

Now would the "purported" PAF gent who got quoted earlier try to explain the chances of a 'down the throat' attack into the HAS?

Of course if he is real and is a fighter pilot!

Extremely unlikely with the level of AAA and point defense SAM's that surround most IAF bases.
Weapons like the Taurus KEPD were supposed to have the ability to discern a HAS entry point and aim for that, but such attack require strict parameters to be met.
Unless off course a LGB strike is carried out , which is capable of making these down the throat attacks(since desert storm).
But then that would entail that at least the SAM capability around the Airbase has been neutralized.

Gauging PGM attacks based on Desert storm or otherwise is folly, since those were made under uncontested airspace and with a major portion of the targets AD system neutralized.

 

[Windjammer]

What a silly thread, OP is not trying to ignite an a fair and balanced intellectual debate, rather ridicule the IAF for what he sees as "peculiar" but I'm sure have genuine technical basis behind them. The IAF is a proffesional force and the fact that the designs seem to be uniformed show this is a deliberate design which must be sound enough to be replicated, the IAF isn't some AF with SFs full of money to send on whatever they like, if this is the design they have implemented there must be some utility in it. So of the greatest and most revolutionary designs of anything in the world have looked "peculiar" to go by superfical looks alone is absurd. Your PAF freind (if there even is one) should know better.

Hold your horses buddy, no one is ridiculing any thing, last time i checked the oxford, peculiar also meant Distinctive and Unusual. My PAF friend never commented on the design of the Bases, when i spoke to him he just added with a hint of humour, if i discovered the pens were open at both ends. Must say, I didn't expect you to pick up the psyche there. !!

 

[Capt.Popeye]

The way i see it , the reason behind such design patterns in dispersal of HAS could be to facilitate ACs entering and exiting HAS independently by not having to make queues for it in the time of emergency.

Yep, and there is more.
Even the taxi-ways from the HAS are not necessarily a constraint. A/C can be pulled out on any flat track levelled out towards the Parallel Taxi-Track(s) and Runways.
There is a method to the "peculiarities" discernible to some.

 

[SQ8]

Yep, and there is more.
Even the taxi-ways from the HAS are not necessarily a constraint. A/C can be pulled out on any flat track levelled out towards the Parallel Taxi-Track(s) and Runways.
There is a method to the "peculiarities" discernible to some.

The method came about after the relative success of PAF airfield strikes during 65'.
Lessons were learnt quick, so much that by 71' ..Most major IAF bases had HAS and several dispersal areas.