New Delhi, 9 June, 2014

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Friday dedicate the flying deck-like Shore Based Test Facility (SBTF) for naval aircraft at the INS Hansa, a naval air base near Goa, Indian Navy officials said.

The SBTF at INS Hansa has both a take-off area as well as ski-jump facility, which are replicas of the facilities onboard aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, where pilots of MiG29K fighter jets will conduct simulated training.

The SBTF is the first such facility in Asia and reportedly the third in the world outside the US and Ukraine. It was commissioned for the Indian Navy on January 2014 to train pilots who will operate on the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya.

The prime minister is also likely to visit INS Vikramaditya on June 14.

The INS Vikramaditya is the most powerful symbol of India’s military reach and has the capability to undertake strike missions in any part of the world.