Andaman to be new military hub

[Shatrujeet]

India's plans to develop andaman as Major Military Base

To counter the growing Chinese influence in the Indian Ocean, the Indian government has planned to turn the Andaman and Nicobar islands into a formidable military cantonment replete with Indian air force and navy bases.

As per a meticulous master-plan, also in possession of Headlines Today, the proposed tri-service Andaman & Nicobar command will be put into action by the end of 2009.

If everything goes by plan, these paradise islands could be India's most formidable military outpost in a decade. By 2020, the magnificent coral islands will see:

• A nuclear submarine base in south Andaman
• A permanent Sukhoi-30 base at Car Nicobar
• A permanent tactical aerial recon base at Campbell Bay
• A permanent aircraft carrier base
• Expansion of INS Kardip advance naval base in Nicobar

A dedicated 250MW nuclear power station on the islands is also proposed to come up on the islands. The facility will feed the enormous power requirements that the ambitious island militarisation programme will ultimately demand

[adrenalin]

This is good news. I was wondering when will GOI wake up to secure Southern India. We also need a similar massive military hub in Lakshwadweep.

[adrenalin]

Could anyone please tell me if we have military bases in other countries?

[royal bengal tiger]

india have an airbase in Tajakistan but no fighter planes are present out there.

[adrenalin]

india have an airbase in Tajakistan but no fighter planes are present out there.

I know from sources that it is an Indian Air Force base, where Mig-29K would be based. What I wanted to know is if there is an Indian Army Base?

[Shatrujeet]

String of military airstrips to strengthen Andaman’s defence - Zee News

Andaman and Nicobar islands will get its air defence infrastructure bolstered with the tri-service military command here working on a project to strengthen a string of airstrips for operating both transport and fighter aircraft.

Navy Chief Nirmal Verma told reporters, during on a visit to the Milan 13-nation naval exercise that began today at the strategically important archipelago on India's east, that a couple of airstrips in Shipur and Campbell were being extended to accommodate large sized transport aircraft.

Currently, these airstrips, with a length of about 1,000 metres, handle only helicopters.

Moreover, the Andaman and Nicobar Command, set up in 2001 as a joint services formation, would also add to its number of the existing 15 ships stationed here in the near future.

"Shipur airfield is with a short airstrip of about 1,000 metres. We hope to increase it slightly. At the moment, only smaller aircraft are being operated from here. We will also provide night vision facility in the course of time," Verma said.

Naval officers pointed out that the plan was to have a "string of airfields" in the archipelago with the capacity to operate all types of aircraft including fighters such as the potent Sukhois.

The airstrips would also be able to handle large transport aircraft like IL-76 and AN-32s in all of these airfields for better coverage of the region, which is close to the Indian Ocean choke point, the Malacca Straits.

[Shatrujeet]

The Navy is all set to build a strategically important floating dock to enable repair and refit of warships at sea, instead of at shore-based dry docks.It has issued a request for information (RFI) to global shipbuilders for construction of the dock with 8,000-tonne lift capability at Port Blair, where a major tri-service military command is headquartered.

India already has a floating dock in service at Port Blair and the new facility would augment the capability by 2012-13.

A floating dock of the Navy had sunk in November 2002 off Port Blair following flooding of ballast tanks that controlled docking and undocking of warships due to power failure. It was brought afloat and later repaired in Sri Lanka.

The Navy, the officers said, was looking at self-sufficient docks and shore-dependent docks (that draw power from land-based sources).

The dock should withstand likely severe tsunami waves without any major damage to ships docked and its pontoon deck should be suitably strengthened to cater to off-centre docking, the RFI said.

Seeking a world-class design for the dock, the Navy has prescribed that it should have the approval of Maritime Classification Society and European Maritime Society.

The construction must be undertaken employing modern build strategy allowing for integrated construction to facilitate very short build period, the RFI said

Navy to build new floating dock at Port Blair