Coast Guard's 17 Dornier aircraft to be upgraded

The Defence Ministry on Saturday approved mid-life upgrade of 17 Dornier aircraft of the Indian Coast Guard at a cost of Rs 950 crore, officials said.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), the ministry's highest decision-making body on procurement.

"The DAC, chaired by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman here today accorded approval for the mid-life upgrade of 17 Dornier aircraft of the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) at an approximate cost of Rs 950 crore," a senior official said.

The upgrades will be carried out by state-run aircraft manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), officials said.

The ICG is responsible for protecting the national interests in maritime zones of the country which entails surveillance of sea areas of approximately 2.01 million square km of India's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), according to the defence ministry.

The ICG is also the nodal agency in India for maritime pollution response.

The Coast Guard has a fleet of Dornier aircraft which plays a pivotal role in maritime surveillance.

"In order to enhance the capabilities of the fleet, the DAC accorded approval for upgrade of these aircraft with state-of-the-art technology, spares, special maintenance tools (SMT) and special test equipment (STE)," the ministry said.

The DAC also approved equipping of three aircraft with Pollution Surveillance Systems, it said.