Goa, May 18, 2018: Vice Admiral Girish Luthra, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, ADC, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command, said today that maintenance and repair of any aircraft using latest and hi-end technology is the life-line of Naval Aviation fleet, and Indigenisation efforts to ensure that the right spare is available at the right time must begin much earlier in the life cycle of a platform after its induction.

Speaking at the inauguration of the two-day “Aviation Indigenisation Expo 2018” organised by FICCI in association with the Indian Navy and the Aeronautical Society of India, Goa, he said, “This will not only reduce the aircraft down time as majority of components are still import dependent, but will also result in lower cost of repair and maintenance”.

He further added that while the Naval Aircraft Yards and Station level workshops have been meeting the challenges, there is a need to encourage OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturer) to set up facilities and carryout repair up to module level.

The Expo has twenty displays, with the Navy displaying their aviation indigenisation requirements, and Indian industry showcasing their indigenisation solutions. Concurrent to the Expo, technical papers on Maintenance of Naval Air Assets were presented by Foreign OEMs, Indian Industry and Certifying agencies.

Significant interest was shown by the industry in Naval Aviation Indigenisation stalls put up by the Indian Navy, displaying the proposed aviation spares and items to be indigenised in accordance with ‘Naval Aviation Indigenisation Roadmap’. Stalls by MSMEs are witness to the efforts put in by the Indian defence industry to achieve self-reliance through innovation and indigenisation in accordance with the Government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative.

The inaugural session saw the presence of Rear Admiral Philipose G Pynumootil, NM, Flag Officer Naval Aviation (FONA) and Flag Officer Commanding Goa Naval Area (FOGA); Rear Admiral V Mohan Doss, VSM, Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Air Material); Cmde. Mukesh Bhargava (Retd), Vice President L&T Ltd. from FICCI; Vice Admiral G Ashok Kumar, AVSM, VSM, Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff; Commodore Sanjeev Dureja, Superintendent, Naval Aircraft Yard (Goa) and Chairman, AeSl Goa branch.

The Expo was attended by Flag Officers, Senior Officers, Officers of Tri-Services, Cmde Sujeet Samaddar (Retd.), Officials from NITI Aayog, HAL, CEMILAC, foreign OEMs, Indian Industry and Indian Navy personnel of Goa Naval Area.

Towards the end of the opening day, a guided industry tour of the Naval Aircraft Yard (Goa) and HANSA was conducted to familiarize the industry with major indigenisation items displayed at the Aviation Indigenisation Gallery and Air Station Hangers.