Arakkonam-based INS Rajali gets P81 Boeing training simulator, first in Asia

RANIPET: A P81 Boeing training simulator — the fourth in the world after US, UK, and Australia and the first in Asia — was inaugurated by Giridhar Aramane, defence secretary at the Arakkonam-based INS Rajali on Tuesday. Named the Ashok Roy Training Simulator Complex (ARTSC) it houses a state-of-the-art simulator to train P81 flight crews to ensure the safe operation and maintenance of the aircraft. As it improves training standards and reduces training requirements on actual aircraft it will ensure higher availability of aircraft for operational missions. The crew will practice emergencies including engine failure, fire, rapid decompression, and rejected take-off, sources revealed. Boeing P81 aircrafts were inducted into the Navy in 2013 and have since flown more than 40,000 hours in a decade. The simulator is named after Lt. Commander Ashok Roy who was awarded Vir Chakra and Nausena medal for his gallant action during the 1971 Indo-Pak war.