Test facility for carrier-borne aircraft goes operatinal

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State-of-the-art test facility for carrier-borne aircraft goes operational in Goa - The Times of India
Vijay Desouza,TNN | Jan 31, 2014, 05.16 PM IST

PANAJI: State-of-the-art shore-based test facility for carrier-borne aircraft, built at naval air station Goa, Dabolim, has been commissioned.

Speaking on the occasion of commissioning of second wire of the arresting gear, RAdm (Retd.) Vineet Bakhshi VSM CMD GSL said "Training of naval pilots on MiG 29K has already commenced. The facility will ensure timely induction of Naval LCA (NLCA) into naval service and conserve ship-based test flying effort".

The facility is described as one of its kind in the South Asia and the third in the world. This installation replicates a shore-based facility of the indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, a press release said here. Spearheaded by the Aeronautical Development Agency, the complete structural work and system integration of SBTF was carried out by Goa Shipyard Ltd.

This will provide India with a capability for the test development of an aircraft before they are cleared for use on-board aircraft carriers. It will also provide the Indian Navy with a facility to hone the skills of its pilots before they are deployed on board.

Significantly, the SBTF is equipped with restraining gear system with ski-jump for take-off, arresting gear system for landing, optical landing system, TV landing control system, light signaling system and other associated auxiliary units, identical to those fitted on board the aircraft carrier, INS Vikramaditya, the statement said.

 

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Re: State-of-the-art test facility for carrier-borne aircraft goes ope

Asia`s first SBTF commissioned into Indian Navy at Goa

Last Updated: Saturday, February 01, 2014, 13:51

Panaji: India has joined the elite group of nations when the Shore Based Test Facility (SBTF) was commissioned into the Indian Navy at INS Hansa here, a naval official said here on Saturday.

This is the third such facility in the world, after the United States and Ukraine.

The SBTF, which was commissioned recently, is primarily used for flight testing of naval aircraft that operate from aircraft carriers, he said.

Initially conceptualised for flight testing of LCA (Navy), the facility was commissioned right in time for training of MiG-29K pilots of Indian Navy, who are now ready to commence operations from the newly acquired aircraft carrier, INS Vikramaditya.

The SBTF has two parts including the Take-off Area with a ski-jump facility and the Landing Area with arresting wire facility, both of which are a replica of INS Vikramaditya, a press release by the Indian Navy, said.

This is also being replicated onboard India's first indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant being built at Kochi.

With this, the Navy is well placed to transition into a new era of arrested landings onboard carriers and the fulfilment of its dream of operating two carriers simultaneously.

All aids pertaining to flying operations from the deck have also been installed on the SBTF. These aids facilitate aircraft hook to catch the arresting wire for landing.

Built as a state-of-the-art facility, the project was managed by Aeronautical Development Agency in consultation with Indian Navy and built by Goa Shipyard Limited under the supervision of Russian specialists.

PTI

 

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Re: State-of-the-art test facility for carrier-borne aircraft goes ope

great!!! hope it is maintained well ....

 

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Re: State-of-the-art test facility for carrier-borne aircraft goes ope

 

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Indian Aircraft Carrier Training Facility to Open Soon | Defense | RIA Novosti

MOSCOW, February 3 (RIA Novosti) – A training facility for naval pilots to practice aircraft carrier operations is set to open in India's coastal Goa region later this month, the head of the Russian company overseeing the project said Monday.

The site is based on a Russian facility under construction near the Black Sea town of Yeysk that was planned to open last year but has suffered undisclosed delays.

"The Indian NITKA facility will be officially operational in early February. The takeoff system is in place, and the Indian pilots are already flying there," Sergei Vlasov, head of the St. Petersburg-based Nevskoe Design Bureau said in an exclusive interview with RIA Novosti.

The facility will train Indian naval aviators who will later be stationed on India's first large aircraft carrier, the Russian-built INS Vikramaditya, delivered to the country last month.

The Russian facility is known to feature a takeoff ramp and arrestor cables to enable naval aviators to practice high-precision and high-acceleration takeoffs and landings.

It was not immediately clear whether the Indian facility replicated all of those systems.

Computer simulator training of carrier-based aircraft began in Goa in 2007.

Indian naval aviators have also recently trained in the United States. The first Indian pilot to complete US carrier qualifications did so in 2007, the US Navy said.