Sources said that the base will be commissioned by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. A new squadron of the MH 60R ‘Romeo’ Naval helicopters is also likely to be raised on the occasion. As part of the larger plans to secure the Indian Ocean Region, the Navy and Coast Guard have drawn up ambitious plans to increase presence in the Lakshadweep islands, in line with the military presence in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
INS Jatayu will be the counterpart of INS Baaz, the frontline naval base in the Andamans that will be capable of handling all classes of fighter jets and aircraft. As reported earlier, plans to construct a new airfield at Minicoy in the Lakshadweep islands have gained momentum in recent weeks.
The plan is to have a new airfield that will be capable of handling all types of military aircraft as well as commercial airliners that will give a fillip to tourism in the island chain. Plans are also in place to extend the only existing airfield on the islands at Agatti.
The government has been working to unlock the potential of the Andaman and Lakshadweep islands for the past several years. In May last year, ET reported that India completed an exhaustive survey of the Andaman Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) after the Modi government aligned all stakeholders, including defence and space agencies, to release 99% of the areas prohibited for oil exploration and production due to security concerns.
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