
India today handed the Dornier Do 228 aircraft to visiting Seychelles president Danny Faure as the island nation said it would remain a faithful friend of India.
Minister of State(MoS) Gen VK Singh handed over keys of the Dornier aircraft to president Faure. India's external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj handed over the documents of the aircraft to the Seychelles president ensuring the deal was completed from India's side.
The Donier, a proven workhorse of the Indian Armed forces, has been manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics and is equipped with a combination of surveillance radar, forward-looking infrared system, satellite communication including traffic collision and avoidance system.
The aircraft has enhanced ground proximity warning system and host of other sensor systems. The naval aircraft will be extensively used to guard the coastline of the island nation in the Indian Ocean.
The cockpit of the aircraft has been designed to accommodate two crew members and is fitted with duplicate controls.
The cabin of the aircraft can accommodate 19 passengers. The turboprop engines in wing-mounted pod is designed for multi-purpose utility like maritime surveillance, pollution monitoring and control, search and rescue.