India to procure 15 patrol aircraft for navy and coast guard in major boost to defence prowess
Representative image of a maritime patrol aircraft
Indian Defence Ministry on Friday (Feb 16) approved a proposal to procure nine maritime surveillance aircraft for the Indian Navy and six maritime patrol aircraft for the Indian Coast Guard. The 15 aircraft will be built upon C-295 transport aircraft, being manufactured in India under a joint venture between Tata Advanced Systems and Airbus.
Boosts ‘Make in India’ initiative
The move is in line with India’s ‘Make in India’ initiative, which aims to make the country self-reliant in the defence sector while also boosting the security apparatus.
The project is estimated to be worth INR 29,000 crore ($3.5 billion).
The aircraft would be fitted with the required radars and sensors. India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation's (DRDO) Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS) will turn them into maritime patrol planes.
"There are plans for acquiring long-range maritime surveillance aircraft, which the Air Force has taken, and the contracts will be signed with TASL (Tata Advanced Systems Limited), wherein we are about to get six C295 transport aircraft,"Indian Coast Guard Chief Director General Rakesh Pal was quoted as saying by ANI.
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He said, "The Ministry of Defence is giving us adequate funds to ensure that our acquisition processes are all fast-tracked."
Significance of the move
The procurement of 15 aircraft for the navy and coast guard will boost the surveillance, reconnaissance, and patrol capabilities of the two forces.
Earlier on Wednesday (Feb 14), the Ministry of Defence also inked an INR 1,752.13 crore contract with a Kanpur-based firm for manufacturing and supplyof 463 indigenously built 12.7 mm stabilised remote control guns for the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard.
This acquisition will providefurther boost to the vision of "Aatmanirbharta in Defence", the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.
About C-295 transport aircraft
The Indian Air Force (IAF) got its first C-295 transport aircraft manufactured in Spain. The first 16 of such aircraft will be built in Spain and come in fly-away condition. However, 40 other transport aircraft are being built at a Tata facility in Vadodara, Gujarat.
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The latest order of these 15 aircraft will take the total order tally to 71 from the existing 56.
(With inputs from agencies)