INS Rajali, the naval aviation base at Arakkonam, some 80 km from here, would soon have a training facility for personnel involved in the operation and maintenance of P8I Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance Anti Submarine Warfare (LRMRASW) aircraft.
According to an official release, a contract has been signed between the Navy and the M/s Boeing, USA, for procuring training simulator for the P8I aircraft and constructing a 60,000 sq. ft civil facility (Training, Support and Data Handling Centre).
The on-site comprehensive annual maintenance contract would be for a period of 10 years, it stated and added: “The complete training facility will be commissioned at INS Rajali, Arakkonam, by March 2021. In addition, as part of the contract, a dedicated Maintenance Simulator will be commissioned at Naval Institute of Aeronautical Technology (NIAT), Kochi, for ab inito training of the technical personnel.” The first P8I aircraft was inducted into the Navy in 2013.
