INS VIkramaditya to start final sea-trials by July 2013

The Indian aircraft carrier, the Vikramaditya (formerly Admiral Gorshkov), being upgraded by the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk, will resume at-sea trials in early July 2013, a spokesman for the Russian Navy's Main Staff told Interfax-AVN on Tuesday.

"Under the new timeframe, the Vikramaditya will leave the harbor on July 3. The at-sea trials plan will be fully implemented, despite the previous results," he said. But before the sea trials the ship will spend two months at the Sevmash dock, where its underwater part will be examined between early May and late June.

INS Vikramaditya at sea-trials in 2012 ( Image Courtesy - jeffhead.com )

He said steam boilers malfunctioned when the aircraft carrier was undergoing sea trials, which necessitated adjustments in the delivery schedule. United Shipbuilding Corporation President Andrei Dyachkov told the media on in St. Petersburg that the work on the Vikramaditya would be finished by October 2013 and the ship will be handed over to the Indian customer before the end of 2013.

News Courtesy - rbth.ru

Russia is developing a Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier

For the past two years Russia has been designing a prospective Heavy Nuclear-Powered Aviation Cruiser, which should become one of the most important elements of the country’s national security at sea, a source in the Military-Industrial Commission under the government of the Russian Federation informed journalists. "The Russian Navy needs a futuristic platform, which would be dozens of years ahead of her time, and not just an analogue of modern aircraft carriers existing in the United States or other countries," he noted.

"The main requirement for this ship is its ability to act in all environments: space, air, water, land and underwater", the source emphasized. The Aviation Cruiser is expected to be put to use in the Russian navy in 2020. The new Aircraft Carrier will combine the properties of a command and control vessel and that of a powerful defensive ship. It is also planned to fit up this Aviation Cruiser with the most advanced equipment that has no analogues in the world.

Russian Aircraft Carrier - Admiral Kuznetsov ( Image Courtesy - armyrecognition.com )

The main purpose of such a ship is to deliver strikes at targets in the air, on water, on land and even in space. The latter task will be achieved if the ship works in a tandem with a group of orbital facilities. The Russian navy has 4 subdivisions - thus, it is planned that Russia will have 4 battle groups headed by Aircraft Carriers.” These groups will consist of the Aircraft Carrier itself, at least 6 more other Battle Ships and 1 or 2 Submarines.

The conditions which the commanders have put forward for the new ship is that it should spend a very long time without being reloaded with any energy from outside (it is planned that this will be reached by equipping the ship with nuclear reactors), be workable at any weather and have a high combat viability.

The displacement of the new Aircraft Carrier will be more than 50,000 tons, it will be considerably bigger than “Admiral Kuznetsov” but smaller than its modern US analogues. It will be able to take about 80 airplanes on its deck.

News Courtesy - english.ruvr.ru

INS Viraat to remain in service till 2020, in Kochi for a refit

INS Viraat has arrived in Kochi for its periodic refit at the Cochin Shipyard (CSL). The work is expected to last at least three months

The Indian Navy’s flagship, now berthed at the Cochin Port, is expected to be dry-docked at the shipyard, primarily for the restoration of its underwater surface and gears.

INS Viraat in Indian Ocean ( Image Courtesy - asianetindia.com )

In the refit, INS Viraat’s hull and underwater equipment will be cleaned and probed for corrosion and, if need be, weak hull parts reinforced with fresh metal plates.

The hull will also get a fresh coat of corrosion-resistant paint. Everything underwater — the rudder, propeller and so on — will be checked and made fail-safe. Concurrently, the systems and equipment on board the ship will also get a lift as per the Navy’s maintenance schedule, naval sources said.

The INS Viraat is said to be in good shape and expected to be in service at least till 2018 or may be even 2020, by which time the Navy would have inducted the Vikramaditya and, possibly, the Vikrant as well.

News Courtesy - thehindu.com

INS Vikramaditya to be inducted by last quarter of 2013

"The delivery of aircraft carrier Vikramaditya has been delayed to the last quarter of 2013", Defence Minister A K Antony said in Lok Sabha.

In reply to a written query, the minister said original cost of the project was finalised at $978.4 million in 2004 for its delivery in 2008 but in 2010, it was "renegotiated and revised" to $2.3 billion for delivery in 2012.

"The total cost of the project would remain at $2.3 billion at the time of delivery in last quarter of 2013," Antony informed the House.

INS Vikramaditya at sea trials ( Image Courtesy - jeffhead.com )

On steps to meet operational preparedness of the Navy, the Defence Minister said, "In the interim, the operational requirement of the Navy would be met by INS Viraat, which would remain in service till the induction of Vikramaditya."

Antony said during trials of the warship in 2012, tests on the main propulsion plant could not be completed due to defects encountered on boiler section and its rectification is likely to take six months. However, during trials the aircraft carrier has performed well in almost all other areas including Mig 29 K take off and landings.

News Courtesy - economictimes.indiatimes.com

INS Vikramaditya Trials Successful !!!

The controversial sea trials of the INS Vikramaditya in Russia, initially described as an embarrassing failure, appear to have actually been a huge success, and the propulsion problems developed by the aircraft carrier are not nearly as serious as reported in the media.

After the ship returned to the Sevmash shipyard a week ago the Indian Navy’s overseeing team, who closely monitored the sea trials, came to the conclusion that the ship had overall done extremely well and the program of tests had been largely fulfilled.

The conclusion from the trials is that the INS Vikramaditya has stood the test as a full-fledged highly capable aircraft carrier converted from the former hybrid missile-cum-aviation cruiser Admiral Gorshkov. The ship displayed excellent seaworthiness and manoeuvrability and performed flawlessly during aircraft takeoff and landing. It’s sophisticated radio-electronic, navigation and other systems demonstrated high efficiency and reliability.

The boiler problem did not prevent the INS Vikramaditya from completing the trials. Informed sources told The Hindu that Indian Navy officers were particularly impressed by the flight programme. A MiG-29K and a MiG-29KUB 4++ generation fighters performed 41 impeccable take-offs and landings with full arms payload and additional fuel tanks. The combination of Russia and India-made optical and electronic landing systems enabled the Russian pilots in 70 percent of the landings to hook the second out of three arrestor wires, which is considered a perfect result, the sources said.

Mig 29 K taking off from the deck of INS Vikramaditya ( Image Courtesy - Oleg Perov ) 

The malfunctioning of the boilers that occurred during high-speed tests will not require their replacement or removal from the vessel. The problem has been pinned down to insulation lining that is placed between the boiler steel casing and ceramic firebricks. Traditional asbestos lining was not used at the request of Indian specialists and replacement material developed slight deformation when the boilers were run at full power, causing some firebricks to fall out. 

The 44000-ton vessel also displayed superior manoeuvrability, performing a 360-degree turn at a minimum radius equal to one-and-a-half hull length at a speed of 18 knots.

Russian shipbuilders have promised to complete all repairs by the beginning of next year, but since pre-delivery trials in the White Sea can resume only in late May, when sea ice melts away, the Vikramaditya will be handed over to the Indian Navy next autumn instead of this December, the sources said.

News Courtesy - The Hindu

Delay in INS Vikramaditya - A Setback not a Disaster !!!

Yet another likely delay in dispatching the much-awaited aircraft carrier has caused tempers to flare back in India, but the problems are not as grim as reported.

It is a setback no doubt, but the “technical malfunction” experienced during INS Vikramaditya’s high-speed trials in the Barents Sea is hardly a disaster. Ship is not crippled, as some 'experts' have suggested. But what happened was that seven of the eight steam boilers in the carrier’s power plant overheated.

However, casual observers have missed the point that the overheating was discovered during trials. That’s what trials are for – to identify and remove such glitches. And no, unlike what some ‘experts’ have been suggesting, fixing the problem won’t require cutting open the ship.

INS Vikramaditya at sea trials ( Image Courtesy - defenceforumindia.com )

Vikramaditya’s problems are not insurmountable. The ship’s propulsion system is brand new, the problem is most likely with the integration of the boilers. Information trickling in, suggests that the first reports exaggerated the problem, and that the ship is sailing on its own power. The overheating seems to be happening only at high speeds. Two months ago the carrier experienced its first landing, by a MiG-29K. The sea trials have been under way for several months off the north coast of the Barents Sea, and in all other respects the ship appears to be in working order.

So, it is a wait for few months, not years, as some of the media has been shouting on top of their lungs. A 45,000 ton Aircraft Carrier, would go through a fine tuning just before it is ready for commissioning. You will be surprised to know what French Navy went through with their Aircraft Carrier - Charles de Gaulle. 

News Courtesy - indrus.in

Thai Aircraft Carrier - Chakri Naruebet - Upgrade by Saab

Saab has received an order worth SEK180 (£16.5m) from the Royal Thai Navy for the upgrading of the command-and-control system on the aircraft carrier HTMS Chakri Naruebet.

Chakri Naruebet manoeuvring in Indian Ocean ( Image Courtesy - aircraftcarrier.name )

The contract involves upgrading the aircraft carrier with the latest generation of command-and-control system, 9LV Mk4.

Saab will also supply data-link equipment to the ship, which will allow communication between the ship and the Royal Thai Air Force’s Gripen fighter aircraft and the airborne radar system Erieye, carried by the Saab 340 AEW.

News Courtesy - theengineer.co.uk

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