Indian government Saturday approved the mid life upgrade of 17 long range surveillance aircraft Dornier of Indian Coast Guard at a cost of Rs. 950 crore.
The decision was taken in a meeting of defence acquisition council in New Delhi which was chaired by Raksha Mantri Smt Nirmala Sitharaman.
The upgrades will be carried out by HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited), the public sector aircraft manufacturer.
HAL has been in a thick of controversy in the past time over several issues. The government and IAF have stated that important manufacturing programmes executed by HAL have run into cost and time overruns but a resumed flow of government orders augers well for the public sector company.
About Indian Coast Guard
Indian Coast Guard is responsible for protecting the national interests in maritime zones of India which involves the surveillance of sea areas of approximately 2.01 million square kilometres.
Indian Coast Guard is also the nodal agency in India for maritime pollution response.
The Coast Guard has a fleet of Dornier aircraft that plays a pivotal role in maritime surveillance.
In order to enhance the capabilities of the fleet, DAC accorded approval for upgradation of these aircraft with state-of-the-art technology, spares, Special Maintenance Tools (SMT) and Special Test Equipment (STE).
The DAC also approved equipping of three aircraft with Pollution Surveillance Systems.
