Naval Station At Dabolim
The early history of Dabolim naval air station is obscure but it is thought that it may have been hived off from Sulur Air Force Base base in Coimbatore. But in 1983, the Indian Navy began inducting the BAE Sea Harrier into service, basing training activities at Dabolim. Now the base is expected to house four MiG-29KUBs, the Tandem two-seat operational trainer variant of the carrier based MIG-29Ks. The aircraft will be inducted into the navy with a complement of 12 MiG 29Ks that have been purchased with the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya (re-fitted and refurbished Admiral Gorshkov of the Russian Navy).
A mock-up of the 283-metre (928 ft) INS Vikramaditya deck is being built at Dabolim airport for training purposes as the aircraft carrier is slated to be based at Karwar. The move is in anticipation of a delay in delivery of the Russian aircraft carrier from 2008 to 2012 at the earliest.
Besides the operation of STOVL aircraft such as the BAE Sea Harrier, the Navy also operates Kamov Ka-28 anti submarine helicopters, along with IL-38 and TU-142M aircraft. Dabolim airbase also hosts exercises by the Indian Air Force's fighter bombers and it has facilities for the Indian Coast Guard which operates a fleet of small aircraft such as Dorniers. The Indian Navy also carries out long range maritime patrols as far as the Horn of Africa from Dabolim using unarmed aircraft such as the Ilyushin Il-38. This activity has assumed significance recently due to a spate of pirate attacks in the area on maritime shipping involving Indian crews.
Of late the Navy has been displaying its 3-plane aerobatic team, based at Dabolim. The team comprises three Kiran aircraft which carry out aerobatic displays at various locations in the country. The team is used in one or two annual public events in Goa for flypasts of 15 to 20 minutes duration. The Navy also operates a naval aviation museum at Dabolim airport.
The Government of India appointed a new Navy chief, Admiral Sureesh Mehta, on 1 November 2006. The officer has had a long association with Dabolim naval air station and is a staunch proponent of its continuation in perpetuity. In conjunction with what he called the Navy's "low intensity maritime operations" he said it had averted "various threats".
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