IAF to upgrade bases to tackle emergencies
The IAF is going in for a major upgrade of its airbases around the country to bolster their employability during war and other contingencies as well as make them more accessible to civilian aircraft.
By Rajat Pandit, TNN |
NEW DELHI: The IAF is going in for a major upgrade of its airbases around the country to bolster their employability during war and other contingencies as well as make them more accessible to civilian aircraft. Under Phase-I of the MAFI (modernization of airfield infrastructure) programme, 30 of IAF's 67 airfields, helipads and advanced landing grounds (ALGs) will be upgraded on a fast-track basis at a cost of around Rs 1,300 crore.
''Phase-I, which will take three years to complete, will upgrade the 30 airbases to a level where all manner of military as well as civilian aviation will be able to operate from them,'' said an officer. Apart from resurfacing and expansion of runways, the programme will include spanking new tactical navigational (TACAN), instrument landing (Cat-2 ILS), air traffic management and air-to-ground radio communication (RCAG) systems for the airbases.
''The airbases will also have better safety features, including airfield and mobile lighting, and meteorological facilities, with fibre-optic data transfer,'' he added. All this will ensure more airbases are available to counter threats during times of war and remote areas are fully accessible to meet any exigency. It will, for instance, make it possible for IL-78 midair refuellers to ''feed'' fighter jets from virtually anywhere in the country.
One of the focus areas of the MAFI programme is the North-East, with upgrade of airbases in Tezpur, Chabua, Dibrugrah, Jorhat, Mohanbari, Hasimara, Guwahati and Bagdogra, among others, on the anvil, apart from augmentation of four to five strategically-located ALGs in Arunachal Pradesh.
Courtesy: The Times of India
''Phase-I, which will take three years to complete, will upgrade the 30 airbases to a level where all manner of military as well as civilian aviation will be able to operate from them,'' said an officer. Apart from resurfacing and expansion of runways, the programme will include spanking new tactical navigational (TACAN), instrument landing (Cat-2 ILS), air traffic management and air-to-ground radio communication (RCAG) systems for the airbases.
''The airbases will also have better safety features, including airfield and mobile lighting, and meteorological facilities, with fibre-optic data transfer,'' he added. All this will ensure more airbases are available to counter threats during times of war and remote areas are fully accessible to meet any exigency. It will, for instance, make it possible for IL-78 midair refuellers to ''feed'' fighter jets from virtually anywhere in the country.
One of the focus areas of the MAFI programme is the North-East, with upgrade of airbases in Tezpur, Chabua, Dibrugrah, Jorhat, Mohanbari, Hasimara, Guwahati and Bagdogra, among others, on the anvil, apart from augmentation of four to five strategically-located ALGs in Arunachal Pradesh.
Courtesy: The Times of India
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