Tag: Dornier aircraft

  • Navy’s Dornier air squadron carries out maiden night landing in Agatti airfield

    By PTI

    KOCHI: An air squadron of the Indian Navy based here carried out its maiden night landing by Dornier aircraft at the Agatti airfield in Lakshadweep islands on Friday as part of its efforts towards round the clock maritime surveillance and support to the islands.

    The night time exercise was carried out by the Navy’s INAS 550 air squadron ” to reinvigorate and re-emphasise India’s maritime moorings” as part of the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Indian independence, a Defence release said on Friday.

    The Agatti atoll, where the lone airstrip of the island archipelago is located, is about 460 km west of Kochi in the Arabian Sea, the release said.

    The airfield operated by the Airport Authority of India (AAI) was inaugurated in April 1988 for operation of Dornier 228 aircraft, it said and added that ATR 72 planes began operations from there in September 2010.

    “However, owing to the short runway length and limited airfield services available, the operations of both civil airliners and military aircraft had been limited to day only,” it said.

    Under the aegis of the Indian Navy, the Southern Naval Command took the initiative to overcome this limitation and in coordination with AAI and Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the maiden night landing was successfully carried out, the release said.

    “As part of the trials, multiple approaches and landings were carried out from both sides of the runway to validate suitability for operations.”

    “The successful night trials would pave the way for future operations of Dornier 228 aircraft from this airfield by night which will boost Indian Navy’s efforts towards round the clock maritime surveillance and support to the islands,” it said.

    KOCHI: An air squadron of the Indian Navy based here carried out its maiden night landing by Dornier aircraft at the Agatti airfield in Lakshadweep islands on Friday as part of its efforts towards round the clock maritime surveillance and support to the islands.

    The night time exercise was carried out by the Navy’s INAS 550 air squadron ” to reinvigorate and re-emphasise India’s maritime moorings” as part of the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Indian independence, a Defence release said on Friday.

    The Agatti atoll, where the lone airstrip of the island archipelago is located, is about 460 km west of Kochi in the Arabian Sea, the release said.

    The airfield operated by the Airport Authority of India (AAI) was inaugurated in April 1988 for operation of Dornier 228 aircraft, it said and added that ATR 72 planes began operations from there in September 2010.

    “However, owing to the short runway length and limited airfield services available, the operations of both civil airliners and military aircraft had been limited to day only,” it said.

    Under the aegis of the Indian Navy, the Southern Naval Command took the initiative to overcome this limitation and in coordination with AAI and Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the maiden night landing was successfully carried out, the release said.

    “As part of the trials, multiple approaches and landings were carried out from both sides of the runway to validate suitability for operations.”

    “The successful night trials would pave the way for future operations of Dornier 228 aircraft from this airfield by night which will boost Indian Navy’s efforts towards round the clock maritime surveillance and support to the islands,” it said.

  • India may give Sri Lanka Dornier 228 military aircraft

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: India is likely to hand over a Dornier 228 military aircraft to Sri Lanka within the next few days. Sources say it could be as early as August 15 when India celebrates its 75th Independence Day. 

    These aircraft are at present being used for reconnaissance missions by the Navy and this would be a part of the Line of Credit (LoC) that India has extended to Sri Lanka.

    “Talks for the Dornier aircraft have been going on for a while now. The Dornier 228 is widely used by the Navy for electronic warfare missions, maritime surveillance and disaster relief. Indigenously manufactured, this can be used for maritime surveillance,’’ said sources.

    The Dornier, a twin-engine aircraft, is being used by the Indian Navy, Coast Guard and Indian Air Force.

    Manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, it is licenced by Swiss company RUAG.

    Earlier this year, Sri Lanka’s former Foreign Minister G L Peiris met External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to talk about buying the Dornier aircraft.

    There were talks of giving Sri Lanka two Dornier aircraft and the cost of this would be adjusted in the LOC extended by India to Sri Lanka. India has provided $3.8 billion to Sri Lanka in financial aid so far. 

    Meanwhile, Sri Lanka has been able to defer the Chinese surveillance vessel Yuan Wang 5 from docking at Hambantota port, much to the dismay of the Chinese who are accusing India of being behind the move.

    India on Friday rejected China’s “insinuations” that New Delhi pressured Colombo against a planned visit by a Chinese research vessel to the Sri Lankan port of Hambantota but asserted that it will take decisions based on its security concerns.

    External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said Sri Lanka, as a sovereign country, makes its own independent decisions and noted that India would make its judgment on its security concerns based on the prevailing situation in the region, especially in the border areas, seen as a veiled reference to the eastern Ladakh row.

    Chinese ballistic missile and satellite tracking ship Yuan Wang 5 was scheduled to dock at Hambantota port from August 11 to 17, but reports from Sri Lanka said it has not berthed as planned.

    “We reject the insinuations in the statement about India. Sri Lanka is a sovereign country and makes its own independent decisions,” Bagchi said when asked about the issue at a media briefing.

    In a veiled reference to India, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin on Monday said it was “senseless” to pressure Sri Lanka to prevent the ship’s visit to Hambantota.

    NEW DELHI: India is likely to hand over a Dornier 228 military aircraft to Sri Lanka within the next few days. Sources say it could be as early as August 15 when India celebrates its 75th Independence Day. 

    These aircraft are at present being used for reconnaissance missions by the Navy and this would be a part of the Line of Credit (LoC) that India has extended to Sri Lanka.

    “Talks for the Dornier aircraft have been going on for a while now. The Dornier 228 is widely used by the Navy for electronic warfare missions, maritime surveillance and disaster relief. Indigenously manufactured, this can be used for maritime surveillance,’’ said sources.

    The Dornier, a twin-engine aircraft, is being used by the Indian Navy, Coast Guard and Indian Air Force.

    Manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, it is licenced by Swiss company RUAG.

    Earlier this year, Sri Lanka’s former Foreign Minister G L Peiris met External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to talk about buying the Dornier aircraft.

    There were talks of giving Sri Lanka two Dornier aircraft and the cost of this would be adjusted in the LOC extended by India to Sri Lanka. India has provided $3.8 billion to Sri Lanka in financial aid so far. 

    Meanwhile, Sri Lanka has been able to defer the Chinese surveillance vessel Yuan Wang 5 from docking at Hambantota port, much to the dismay of the Chinese who are accusing India of being behind the move.

    India on Friday rejected China’s “insinuations” that New Delhi pressured Colombo against a planned visit by a Chinese research vessel to the Sri Lankan port of Hambantota but asserted that it will take decisions based on its security concerns.

    External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said Sri Lanka, as a sovereign country, makes its own independent decisions and noted that India would make its judgment on its security concerns based on the prevailing situation in the region, especially in the border areas, seen as a veiled reference to the eastern Ladakh row.

    Chinese ballistic missile and satellite tracking ship Yuan Wang 5 was scheduled to dock at Hambantota port from August 11 to 17, but reports from Sri Lanka said it has not berthed as planned.

    “We reject the insinuations in the statement about India. Sri Lanka is a sovereign country and makes its own independent decisions,” Bagchi said when asked about the issue at a media briefing.

    In a veiled reference to India, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin on Monday said it was “senseless” to pressure Sri Lanka to prevent the ship’s visit to Hambantota.