Defence Ministry signs Rs 2,300 crore contract with HAL to buy eight Dornier 228 aircrafts

New Delhi: The Defence Ministry on Thursday signed a Rs 2,300 crore plus deal with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited to procure eight Dornier 228 aircraft for Indian Coast Guard’s operations.

“The Ministry of Defence signed a contract with HAL, Transport Aircraft Division, Kanpur for the acquisition of eight Dornier 228 Aircraft along with operational role equipment for the Indian Coast Guard at a cost of Rs 2,312 crore under Buy (Indian) category,” the ministry said in a statement.

The shore guarding force currently operates a fleet of more than 35 Dornier aircraft for coastal surveillance, maritime patrol and search and rescue missions.

In a separate development, the Defence Acquisition Council headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh accorded an acceptance of necessity approval for the procurement of electro-optical/infra-red system for the Coast Guard’s Dornier aircraft. The procurement will assist in enhancing the efficacy of maritime surveillance capability of the ICG.