Article Posted on : - May 13, 2010

A file photo of Goa Shipyard Ltd.

PANAJI (BNS): Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL) has commenced the first steel-cutting ceremony of the proposed Shore-Based Test Facility (SBTF) for Indian Navy, on Monday, a media report said.

The proposed SBTF, when operational, will provide facility, for testing developmental aircraft before using it on board aircraft carriers.

According to The Hindu, SBTF project will help Indian Navy pilots to hone their skills before they are deployed on board.

Cmde A.S. Baghel, Chief Staff Officer (Air), Goa Naval Area, did the honours in presence of Vineet Bakhshi, Chairman and Managing Director of GSL.

“The SBTF, being set up at the Naval Air Station, Goa, by the Aeronautical Development Agency, is a unique testing facility in the South Asian region and the third in the world,” the English daily quoted an official spokesman of GSL as saying.

SBTF will provide full fledged flight testing of ship-borne aircraft, flight control-system on take-off and landing at aircraft carriers as well as training of pilots.

Indian Navy has appointed GSL to carry the system integration of SBTF project, and the work related to steel procurement, structural fabrication, provisioning of equipment of Indian scope of supply, installation, testing and commissioning of the facility, the report concluded.

DRDO's R&DE (E) will carry out the civil work of the SBTF project.