By Express News Service
BENGALURU: A seven-storeyed, 1.3 lakh sqft Flight Control System (FCS) complex for research and development of the public sector HAL’s Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) has been built in just 45 days.
The construction started on February 1. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday inaugurated the facility, housed at the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), alongside Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.
The facility was built using hybrid technology, with a combination of conventional, pre-engineered and pre-cast methods. The construction of the complex itself breaks the record for the completion of a permanent seven-storeyed building using hybrid construction technology.
Facility will develop avionics for AMCA
Speaking at the inauguration, the Defence Minister commended the efforts of both the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Larsen & Toubro Ltd (L&T). “I’m pleased with the development of the facility. My hope is that we can bring down the time required to construct such facilities to 25 days and even 10 days.
Hybrid technology is an important milestone for the construction sector and I hope that in the coming days, India will become one of the leading countries in the field of construction technology,” he noted. Further, he said, “Our traditional construction industry is generally considered to be labour-intensive, high risk and low on productivity.
But, the way DRDO has constructed the FCS complex using hybrid technology, our infrastructure projects will be completed at low cost and in a time-bound manner in the time to come.” The facility will be at the forefront of the research and development for HAL’s Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), a proposed Indian stealth multirole fighter jet.
It will help with developing avionics and FCS for the fighter aircraft. Singh said, “The provision for simulator training at the complex is one of its most important aspects. The simulators provide an opportunity to learn by making mistakes without the possibility of any kinds of losses.”