With the objective to increase the reach of the armed forces in the strategically important Andaman and Nicobar Island, Navy Chief Sunil Lanba on Thursday commissioned Naval Air Station (NAS) Shibpur in North Andaman into a full-fledged airbase as INS Kohassa. It will have three to four Dornier medium range reconnaissance aircraft besides a fleet of helicopters to monitor the sea lanes in Andaman and Island. In future, it will also have the capability to enable large aircraft to land and take off.
INS Kohassa has been named after a White-Bellied Sea Eagle, which is a large bird of prey, endemic to Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Explaining the strategic importance, Navy officials said here the base is in close proximity of Coco Islands (Myanmar) and wide expanse of Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) which makes it a very vital asset.
NAS Shibpur was established in 2001 as a Forward Operating Air Base (FOAB) for enhanced surveillance in North Andaman. The airfield provides sustained detached operations of for the Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard aircraft.
It presently operates Dornier short range maritime reconnaissance aircraft and helicopters.
In fact, during the search operations of the Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, Dornier DO 228s of the Navy and Coast Guard operated from this very base.
NAS Shibpur was identified by NITI Aayog as one of the ‘Early Bird’ project as part of holistic island development and the Navy has geared up to facilitate civil flight operations from NAS Shibpur. “The runway extension to 10,000 ft is also planned in the near future to facilitate operations of wide-bodied aircraft,” the Navy said in a statement.