In a demonstration of India’s enhanced capabilities in aviation maintenance, repair and operations/overhaul (MRO) services for the defence sector, Air Works Group, India’s largest MRO service- provider in the private sector, is undertaking heavy maintenance checks on three Indian Navy aircraft at its facility in Hosur.
In a statement seen by The Hindu, Boeing has said three Boeing P-8I long-range maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare aircraft are undergoing the checks simultaneously. The Navy received its first P-8I (the variant for India and based on the Boeing 737 frame) in 2013, making India at that time the first country, outside the United States, to get the aircraft. The 12th plane was delivered to India in February 2022.
The fleet is based at two naval bases — INS Rajali in Arakkonam, Tamil Nadu, and INS Hansa in Goa — to cover the eastern and western seaboards.
The statement has said the partnership between Air Works Group, Boeing and the defence forces began with phase 32 checks for the first P-8I and has moved to phase 48 checks. It also includes maintenance of the landing gear of the Boeing 737 VVIP aircraft of the Indian Air Force.
An aviation expert said the maritime environment the P-8I operates in is particularly harsh and phase 48 checks will indicate a very detailed maintenance plan that falls between 24,000 and 40,000 flying hours.
Boeing India has said its tie-up with Air Works Group was the first step under the Boeing India Repair Development and Sustainment (BIRDS) hub launched last year. Under this plan, key local companies and businesses will be included “to help develop India into an aviation and defence repair and sustainment hub”.
The aerospace giant said Air Works Group, set up in 1951, and Boeing will highlight the collaboration at the Boeing India ‘Aatmanirbharta in Defence’ conference in New Delhi on May 10.
