The Defence Ministry signed a contract with Tata Power SED on Friday for modernisation of infrastructure at 37 airfields of the Indian Air Force, Coast Guard and the Navy at a cost of around Rs 1,200 crore.
The MAFI Phase-II is a follow-on programme that is based on MAFI Phase-I.
In Phase-I, the project included the upgradation of 30 airfields of IAF. The airfields modernized under MAFI Phase-I have been of immense benefit to both military and civil users.
The Phase-II of the project includes installation and commissioning of modern airfield equipment like Cat-II Instrument Landing System (ILS); and Cat-II Air Field Lighting System (AFLS), etc. The system around the airfield will be directly connected to Air Traffic Control (ATC), thereby providing excellent control of the airfield systems to the air traffic controllers.
The upgradation of infrastructure and navigational aids under the project will enhance the operational capability by facilitating air operations of military and civil aircraft even in poor visibility and adverse weather conditions. It will also enhance aerospace safety.
The project will give a boost to over 250 Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) which will be directly benefited from being involved in the execution of various activities of this project.
The contract will help to infuse the much-needed capital in the market and boost employment generation in such fields as communications, avionics, information technology, apart from civil and electrical equipment and construction.
