Backed by BrahMos, the Navy’s Minicoy base to keep watch over the Arabian Sea

Backed by BrahMos, the Navy’s Minicoy base to keep watch over the Arabian Sea

Subject: Geography

Section: Mapping

INS Jatayu:

• The Indian Navy is significantly enhancing its capabilities with the establishment of INS Jatayu on Minicoy Island in Lakshadweep. This new base will feature advanced radar systems, jetties, an airfield, and coastal batteries equipped with BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles.
• Additionally, new infrastructure and facilities were inaugurated at the Karwar naval base in Karnataka, including major piers and residential accommodations, enhancing the living conditions for officers and civilian defence personnel.
• The inclusion of extended-range BrahMos missiles and new radar facilities at Minicoy is intended to improve India’s surveillance capabilities and provide a flexible response to threats.

Importance of ‘INS Jatayu’ naval base:

• This upgrade aligns with India’s long-term plan to bolster its security presence in strategic locations, particularly to counter the expanding Chinese naval activities in the Indian Ocean.
• The importance of this base is underscored by its proximity to the critical Sea Lanes of Communication (SLOC) and its position a few hundred miles from the Maldives.
• It also aims to strengthen India’s position in the emerging global maritime order, contributing to the Maritime Domain Awareness network and enhancing the capabilities of the Quad Alliance.
• The development also aimed at boosting tourism and accommodating increased demand from tourists, such as the expansion of the Agatti airfield and the development of a dual-use airfield in Minicoy with a longer runway.

Karwar naval base (INS Kadamba):

• Code named Project Seabird.
• It has undergone significant expansion since its Phase I completion in 2011, which initially allowed accommodation for 10 ships.
• This expansion includes the Cabinet Committee on Security-approved Phase IIA, significantly enlarging the base’s capacity to berth 32 ships and submarines, plus 23 yardcraft. Phase IIA features include extensive berthing space, technical facilities, electrical substations, and an iconic Covered Dry Berth for simultaneous maintenance of up to four capital ships.
• This phase also introduces four townships providing around 10,000 dwelling units for various personnel and a dual-use naval air station with a 2,700-metre runway alongside a civil enclave for commercial flights.
• Unique features:
  • The Navy’s aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya is based at Karwar.
  • The base also has the country’s first sealift facility, a unique “shiplift” and transfer system for docking and undocking ships and submarines.
• Significance:
  • Once fully operational, the expanded base is expected to house approximately 50,000 individuals, significantly benefiting the local economy.
  • The expansion underscores the strategic importance of maintaining robust naval capabilities, especially considering the ongoing maritime security challenges, such as drone and missile attacks in the Red Sea and piracy in the Gulf of Aden, emphasizing the critical role of sea lanes in global trade, with over 90% of India’s trade transiting by sea.

Minicoy island:

• Minicoy, locally known as Maliku, is an island in Lakshadweep, India.
• Along with Viringili, it is on Maliku atoll, the southernmost atoll of the Lakshadweep archipelago.
• Administratively, it is a census town in the Indian union territory of Lakshadweep.
• The island is situated 425 km west of Trivandrum, the capital city of Kerala.
• The Eight Degree Channel separates the islands of Minicoy and Maldives.
• The Nine Degree Channel separates the island of Minicoy from the main Lakshadweep archipelago.

Source: TH