In a significant development, the first landing gear overhaul of a Boeing P-8I aircraft, a maritime surveillance and anti-submarine platform of the Indian Navy, has been successfully completed indigenously in the country.
This is part of the partnership Boeing and the public sector undertaking AI Engineering Services Limited (AIESL) have reached, to provide in-country overhaul services of critical components for the Indian Navy’s fleet of 12 P-8I aircraft.
Sharad Agarwal, CEO of AI Engineering Services Limited, told businessline that the maintenance job of the aircraft’s landing gear is being done at the largest DGCA-approved facility in Mumbai. The uninstallation and installation of the landing gear of the aircraft were carried out at INS Rajali, near Arakkonam in Tamil Nadu, Boeing officials explained.
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The MoU was signed between the Boeing and AIESL - an Air India subsidiary - in May of 2020, for maintenance and overhaul of the critical component of P-8Is operated by the Indian Navy.
“A beginning has been made. We have been normally confined to maintenance and overhaul of civil aircraft since the last 50 years when Air India inducted Boeing 707 and later 747s to its fleet. Now we have ventured into defence,” Agarwal told businessline.
The public sector undertaking is in talks to expand its outreach to attract global customers and do many jobs.
Apart from India, the P-81s are operated by the United States Navy, the Royal Australian Air Force, the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force, the Royal Norwegian Air Force and the Royal New Zealand Air Force.
Besides, it’s also been ordered by the Republic of Korea Navy, the German Navy and the Royal Canadian Air Force.
Significant step
The CEO of AIESL also said the successful completion of the landing gear overhaul of the P-8I aircraft, a first in India, is a “significant step towards India’s aspirations to become the regional hub for MRO services.”
The Boeing P-8I, a multi-role Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance Anti-Submarine Warfare (LRMR ASW) aircraft, is integral to the Indian Navy’s maritime surveillance missions in the Indian Ocean.
“Through this partnership with AIESL, we continue to make strategic investments in India’s MRO capabilities that enhance mission readiness rates for the Indian Navy. Developing local MRO capabilities is critical for reducing repair turnaround time and aircraft downtime, thereby improving the mission readiness of customer fleets,” said Salil Gupte, President, Boeing India and South Asia.
AIESL is also looking after the maintenance and repair of two custom-made B777 aircraft used to fly VVIPs such as the President, Vice President and Prime Minister.