Kraków 2022-01-19
Indian TS-11 Iskra D nb 41, W1741 in Krakow.
TS-11 Iskra for India. 1976.
The interest of foreign countries in the Polish TS-11 Iskra plane was high. Especially the so-called third world countries. Already in the first half of 1972, the military delegation of the Republic of Iran visited, among others, WOSL in Dęblin, showing particular interest in the TS-11 training plane.
In 1973, our country was visited by the Chairman of the Joint Armed Forces of Peru, Major General Arturo Cavero Calixto. He was a guest of, among others, the 1st PLM Warsaw, where he got to know the TS-11 training plane in detail.
In 1975, the Indian Air Force bought 50 TS-11s. Then 12 copies were purchased. These aircraft entered the service of India in 1976 and served uninterruptedly until December 16, 2004, when their service officially and officially ended.
The transaction with India meant great recognition for Polish flying equipment. The success was even greater as India, having its own developed aviation industry, produced its own training and training planes with turbojet propulsion, HAL Kiran and Folland Gnat planes under license. The first batch of TS-11 aircraft was sent to India at the end of September 1975. At the same time (September 30, 1975) a delegation from the Indian Parliament visited the WSK-PZL Mielec plant in Poland. Its aircraft production process was demonstrated and the contract status was presented.
At the Kętrzyn-Wilamowo airport in 2012, there was a TS-11 Iskra plane in Indian colors.
TS-11 Iskra nb 41, W1741.
In 2021, one of the TS-11 Iskra aircraft was restored and painted in Indian colors. The plane was made available for visitors on August 31, 2021, in the main building of the Polish Aviation Museum in Krakow.
The plane was and still is the property of the museum. Renovation and painting of the planes were carried out at Wojskowe Zakłady Lotnicze No. 2 in Bydgoszcz. This plant renovated the Iskra bis DF aircraft, serial number 3H-1415, giving it the appearance of the PZL TS-11 Iskra bis D aircraft number W1741 in Indian colors.
This work also commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Military Aviation Works No. 2 in Bydgoszcz.
At the same time, the museum organized an exhibition on the operation of TS-11 Iskra aircraft.
TS-11 Iskra aircraft were used in the Polish military aviation, and their only foreign recipient was the Air Force of the Republic of India. They operated over 60 examples from 1975 to 2004 at the Air Force Academy at the Hakimpet base on the outskirts of Hyderabad. Sparks in India were highly valued, they bore the nickname "Lady", and their sale to India was one of the greatest successes of the aviation industry during the Polish People’s Republic. They owed their reliability to the Military Aviation Works No. 2, which serviced the planes.
Written by Karol Placha Hetman