MAFI Batch 2 to begin in June

Neelam Mathews, London - IHS Jane's Airport Review

05 March 2015

Model of the mobile air traffic control tower for the MAFI programme.
Source: Neelam Mathews

The second stage of the Indian Air Force's (IAF's) Modernisation of Airfield Infrastructure (MAFI) programme will begin in June 2015, IHS Jane's has learned.

In total, 30 airfields are earmarked for modernisation in Phase 1 of MAFI and 25 in Phase 2, including facilities run by the Army, Navy, and Coast Guard. Negotiations are underway to widen MAFI even further.

First-batch of the Phase 1 work is already complete at six sites. The base at Gwalior in central India will be the first to be modernised under Batch 2, followed by Chandigarh in the north of the country.

Tata Power's Strategic Electronics Division (SED) was awarded the USD196 million, 42-month contract to lead the first phase of MAFI in 2011.

MAFI includes upgrades, installation, and integration of a range of equipment, including ATM automation (the AutoTrac III system from Raytheon); precision approach radars; UHF ground-to-air radio sets; and commutated aerial direction-finding units.

Work also includes installation and integration at each airport of a Cat II ILS, an airfield lighting system, and high- and low-power DME systems plus DVOR.