my story: TU 142 Aircraft Museum. Visakhapatnam.

TU 142 Aircraft Museum.

Andhra Pradesh Government and Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA). Had conceived a very ambitious plan to transform an ordinary Rama Krishna Beach Road, RK Road for short, into a world-class tourist attraction.

The Indian Navy has played a stellar role in turning that vision into reality. The Indian Navy brought its decommissioned war machines, which in their heyday had served valiantly in defending the sovereignty of the Nation, to Visakhapatnam, disassembled them in the Naval Station, and transported them to RK Road and reassembled them on the land allotted to create four magnificent museums with these war machines as their respective themes.

TU 142 Museum is one of the four Museums

Thanks to the Indian Navy, today, RK Road is a world-class and a must-visit tourist attraction of Visakhapatnam.

The museum, in addition to this real TU 142 aircraft, has many aircraft parts, instruments, and one of the engines on display with information boards. Photographs and information boards give the history and the stellar role played by this versatile aircraft in the wars fought by India.

After visiting the Kursura Submarine Museum, we next went to the TU-142 Aircraft Museum across the RK Beach Road.

As the name suggests, the Museum is about the Indian Navy aircraft, TU 142. When the Navy went for modernisation and was re-equipped with better aircraft for Maritime Reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare, TU-142, a four-engined turboprop aircraft of Russian origin, was decommissioned and disposed of as per existing procedures. One of the aircraft, tail number IN 312, a decommissioned TU 142, was flown in from the Navy's Arakkonam base to Visakhapatnam International Airport, dismantled, and transported to RK Beach Road. “ TU 142 Aircraft Museum” is built around the very same aircraft. The museum is well-maintained. Visitors, mainly those who do not have any knowledge of the role of the Indian Navy in general and Maritime Reconnaissance and Anti-Submarine warfare aircraft, in particular, will emerge as much better-informed person. Very informative and well worth a visit.

TU 142 Aircraft Museum.

At TU 142 Aircraft Museum.

The years 1988, 1992, and 2017 mark the core milestones of the TU-142M "Albatross" aircraft's lifecycle in the Indian Navy:

1988 (Induction): The TU-142M was formally inducted into the Indian Navy's INAS 312 squadron on April 16, 1988, at INS Hansa, Goa.

1992 (Relocation): To align with India's Look East policy and secure the eastern maritime boundary, the squadron permanently relocated its base to INS Rajali in Arakkonam, Tamil Nadu, in April 1992.

2017 (De-induction): : After nearly three decades of service, the iconic "Flying Destroyer" was officially decommissioned and de-inducted on March 29, 2017, at INS Rajali, making way for the modern Boeing P-8I Poseidon aircraft.

The painting marks the core milestone of the TU-142 aircraft in the Indian Navy.

Pilot Station. Partially reconstructed cockpit of TU 142 aircraft.

Escape Mural.

Showing ways to escape a stricken aircraft and recovery methods.

Kuznetsov NK-12MV turboprop engine on display at the TU 142 aircraft Museum.

The Tupolev Tu-142 maritime patrol aircraft is powered by four Kuznetsov NK-12MV or NK-12MP turboprop engines. Each engine produces approximately 14,795 to 15,000 shaft horsepower (11,033 kW) and drives distinctive eight-blade contra-rotating, reversible-pitch AV-60N propellers.

Unveiling the fin model of TU 142 by the Hon'ble President of India.

The fin and Rudder assembly with the Albetross logo on display in the background.

Poster at TU 142 Museum.

View of the top portion of the starboard wing and the starboard side of the fuselage.

The Tupolev Tu-142 is a Soviet/Russian maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft.

The Tu-142 was designed by the Tupolev design bureau and manufactured by the Kuibyshev Aviation and Taganrog Machinery Plants from 1968 to 1994.

Developed in response to the American Polaris programme, the Tu-142 grew out of the need for a viable Soviet ASW platform. The Tu-142's capability was incrementally improved while the type was in service, eventually resulting in the Tu-142M3, the final long-range Tu-142 with highly sophisticated combat avionics and a large payload.