RAF Kalyan was a
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
station located at Nevali village 6 km south of
Kalyan, operational during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
in
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
. It was the primary landing ground for the nearby city of Bombay (now
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
) as early as 1920, much before the airfields of
Juhu
Juhu (Pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, ͡ʒuɦuː is a posh and upmarket neighbourhood of Mumbai. It is known for the sprawling Juhu Beach. It is surrounded by the Arabian Sea to the west, Versova (Mumbai), Versova to the north, Vile Parle to ...
and
RAF Santacruz were established. Several Fighter Squadrons and support units were stationed at Kalyan from 1942 to 1947.
The field was abandoned after the war.
Current use
The site now hosts a research and development laboratory of the
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).
See also
*
Kalyan Airstrip
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:RAF Kalyan
Kalyan
Kalyan
World War II sites in India