Def ministry signs Rs 470 cr pact for modernisation of Naval Aircraft Yards

The Ministry of Defence on Monday signed a contract with a firm for modernisation of Naval Aircraft Yards (NAYs) at Goa and Kochi at a cost of nearly Rs 470 crore, officials said.

The NAYs undertake servicing and repairs of naval aircraft, aero engines, rotables and test equipment at Goa and Kochi, the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry signed a contract with Ultra Dimensions Pvt. Ltd. (UDPL), Vishakhapatnam for "modernisation of Naval Aircraft Yards (NAYs) at Goa and Kochi, at a cost of approximately Rs 470 crore", it said.

Induction of the latest state-of-the-art aircraft into the Indian Navy inventory requires modernisation of existing maintenance and repair facilities at NAYs to bridge the technological and capability gap to meet the present and future aviation maintenance challenges, officials said.

The modernisation includes repair facilities with state-of-the-art automated machineries and composite repair bays. This project will generate an employment of more than 1.8 lakh man-days over a period of three years, it said.

"The modernisation will augment operational readiness of naval aviation platforms and reduce dependence on external agencies and foreign original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for repairs. This project will be a proud flag bearer of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat'," the statement said.

In addition, the Ministry of Defence has inked a contract with Mecon Ltd, Ranchi, as a project monitoring consultant at a cost of Rs 24 crore, it said.

Meanwhile, the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on Friday tweeted: "HAL registers highest-ever revenue from operations of around Rs.26,500 Crores (provisional and unaudited) for FY 2022-23 as against Rs.24,620 for the previous FY. The Company has recorded a revenue growth of 8% during the year as compared to last year. @DefProdnIndia @gopalsutar".

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh shared the HAL's tweet and wrote: "Glad to see HAL on a higher growth trajectory. Compliments to @HALHQBLR Team".