Nostalgia: INS Vikrant, INS Viraat and INS Vikramaditya

Enjoy these two awesome pictures showcasing the might of Indian Navy !!!! 

History repeating itself after 23 long years !!!!

Cherish the moment !!!!

INS Vikrant and INS Viraat in 1990 ( Image Courtesy - martinfrost.ws )

INS Viraat and INS Vikramaditya in 2013 ( Image Courtesy - livefistdefence.com )

INS Vikramaditya to arrive in December 2013

Long-delayed aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya is undergoing trials and could be in India by December, Russian Ambassador Alexander Kadakin said Friday. Kadakin was speaking to reporters after inaugurating the Russian consul office in Goa.

"Things are going well (with the carrier). It will undergo exercise in the Northern Sea. There will also be more sophisticated exercises with Vikramaditya (the erstwhile Admiral Gorshkov)," 

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

Kadakin said, adding that the vessel could be ready for hand over in December.

Stating that hurry was not advisable in such matters, where precision and proper outfitting was paramount, he quipped: "If you want a healthy baby, do not organize the birth prematurely."

"It is sophisticated, lethal, has razor technology which will increase India's seaborne capabilities," Kadakin said about the carrier.

News Courtesy - newstrackindia.com

INS Viraat to serve Indian Navy till 2016 and beyond

Capt. Biswajit Dasgupta, Commanding Officer of INS Viraat helped to lay rumors to rest, regarding near-future decommissioning plans of the vessel. “There’s no plan to pay the ship off at the moment. It will have life left for a few more years,” Capt. Dasgupta told the media aboard the vessel.

Capt. Dasgupta said the ship’s current round of refit was undertaken because it can still serve the Navy for some good years. In the first phase of refit - hull inspection and repair, machinery work and some minor jobs were scheduled. With the first phase nearly over, Viraat would now sail to Mumbai, maybe a couple of weeks from now for some essential repairs of its machinery and equipment at the Naval Dockyard. The aircraft carrier is expected to get back on duty in another three months.

When queried on the recent reports in media that Viraat would be decommissioned following the introduction of INS Vikramaditya, Capt. Dasgupta clarified - "Viraat retains the full capacity to perform its tasks, though old, but is still firing on all cylinders. We have updated Viraat with new technologies and devices. We have no doubts about her performance and power-projection capability”.

INS Viraat in glory ( Image Courtesy - asianetindia.com )

One other navy official, in condition of anonymity said - Viraat looks pretty good to go till 2016 at least, and may be beyond. From thorough inspections carried out at all recent major refits, we have found that she is still in pretty good shape, and with Sea Harriers on-board she can project power anywhere in Indian Ocean, where our interest lies.

Hardly 100 metres away, in the CSL yard’s building bay, construction was apace on the country’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC), which will be named INS Vikrant on commissioning. With INS Vikramaditya, expected to arrive this year, Indian Navy is eagerly looking to operate two carrier battle groups again, after a long wait of sixteen years. 

Till 1997, Indian Navy used to operate two carrier battle groups, centered around INS Vikrant and INS Viraat. In few months down the line, if all goes well, Navy will be operating two carrier battle groups again, centered around INS Viraat and INS Vikramaditya.

News Courtesy - thehindu.com

INS Vikramaditya to control Indian Ocean from Nov 2013

Russia will hand over the much-delayed INS Vikramaditya aircraft carrier to India in November, giving the country's navy a strategic advantage in the Indian Ocean region. 

The Vikramaditya aircraft carrier is to be handed over to the Indian Navy in November 2013, head of the Russian Federal Service, Alexander Fomin said yesterday. "The ship is to be put in a dock in April, go on sea trials in June and be officially handed over some time in November," he said. 

( Image Courtesy - defense-update.com )

The Vikramaditya, was supposed to have been handed over on December 4, 2012, but sea trials in September revealed the ship's boilers were not fully functional.

The Vikramaditya then returned to the shipyard to fix the problems that were detected during the sea trials. The ship demonstrated excellent seaworthiness, speed of 27.9 knots (about 52 kilometres per hour) and maneuverability during the three-month sea trials. The ship sailed for more than 12,000 miles, with 517 flights performed from its deck by aircraft and helicopters.

News Courtesy - indianexpress.com

INS Vikramaditya - Delivery Acceptance Trials in June 2013

INS Vikramaditya - India's second aircraft carrier- is back on its feet. Three of the ship's eight boilers that had malfunctioned during trials in last year have been "opened up and set right," a senior Navy official told NDTV.

In sea trials last year, the ship sailed for 100 days and its flight deck - the most critical part of an aircraft carrier - is operational, senior officials told NDTV. The MiG 29 KUB two-seat naval fighter jet will be positioned on the Vikramaditya.

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

But because the seas in Northern Russia are frozen, the INS Vikramaditya can sail out of the port only in June this year for "delivery acceptance trials" - the penultimate stage before a ship is commissioned.

On acceptance of the ship from the builder, it will be formally commissioned with the Indian tri-colour being hoisted on top of ship after which INS Vikramaditya will start its journey towards India. The Navy intends to commission the ship in Russia and sail it back to India by October- November 2013. It is expected to join active service on 04 December, 2013 - Navy Day.

News Courtesy - ndtv.com

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

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

INS Vishal - India started work on second Aircraft Carrier

India has started work on the second Aircraft Carrier to be called as Vishal (name doing the rounds on web). Defence sources have confirmed that the project has now moved to the design stage, which is being undertaken by the Navy’s Naval Design Bureau. As per preliminary blue-print, it would have displacement of massive 65,000 tons i.e. 25,000 tons heavier than the first Aircraft Carrier, INS Vikrant II.

INS Vishal, an artist representation ( Image Courtesy - indiandefence.com )

Vishal will be operating bigger fighter aircraft comparable to Sukhoi 33, it would also be featuring steam catapults, and will carry airborne early-warning (AEW) aircraft. Vishal would also carry the naval versions of the Light Combat Aircraft, which is in development.

India will need at least three aircraft carriers to protect its vast coastline which touches - Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, and Indian Ocean. The Vishal demands a mighty cost of about 1.5 billion USD , according to Defence Ministry sources, where as INS Vikrant II is being built at a cost of 750 million USD. Vikrant, which is delayed by two years, is now expected to be commissioned in Indian Navy by 2017.

  

INS Vikrant II, under construction at Cochin ( Image Courtesy - livefist.blogspot.com )

By 2018, Indian Navy would be able to project power with three carrier battle groups centered around - INS Viraat (to be decommissioned only after 2020, due to extensive upgrades), INS VIkramaditya (to be commissioned by Dec 2012), and INS Vikrant II (expected commissioning date as year 2017). 

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

If there are no massive delays and feet dragging on strategic decisions, then it might be INS Vishal which would replace INS Viraat in the year 2020.

News Courtesy - defencenews.in

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INS Vikramaditya on course to Dec 2012

The long wait for INS Vikramaditya aircraft carrier for the Indian Navy is nearing its end. The modernisation of INS Vikramaditya at the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk has moved into the final stage. Come spring, all the vessel’s systems will be going through extensive testing. By the end of the year, the vessel will be handed over to the Indian Navy.

　

Image Courtesy - indrus.in

Port trial runs began in March last year. These trial runs held by the port are intended to prepare the vessel’s systems and equipments for factory performance tests, when the aircraft will set sail. Last year, the vessel was outfitted with cutting-edge equipment, tools and had its cable connections tested. The performance of individual units and mechanisms has already been verified and confirmed. It will be followed by the universal tests on the vessel’s main systems in different modes.

The most difficult and important tests concern the chief power unit. The second challenge is to check the electronic warfare systems, which include Indian-made ones, along with aviation and technical capabilities. When the vessel finally sets sail, interaction controls on the aircraft carrier and its planes will be refined.

"We manage to establish very productive relations with all the officers from the Observation Group," says Sevmash Deputy General Director for military and technical cooperation Sergei Novosyolov. "The officers are experienced specialists, proficient in ship repairs and shipbuilding. They learn a lot here but we, too, learn a lot from them. Indian specialists are distinguished by their stringency. They go deeply into every detail and ask us to explain everything that is not clear. It's especially important and rewarding that all issues are resolved peacefully, with no serious conflicts. We have a common goal. The aircraft carrier must become the flagship of the Indian Navy, the pride of the Indian fleet."

News Courtesy - indrus.in

Slowly and Surely building up a Potent Carrier Battle Group

There were hiccups, there were slippages, there were criticisms, there were apprehensions. But Indian Navy kept moving relentlessly to it's blue-water asiprations, which in 21st century, are centered around Carrier Battle Groups prowling the world oceans, protecting strategic interests of the nation.

It took years of planning, sheer determination, sailing over numerous setbacks to come close to realise this dream. The recent commissioning, and expected commissioning of the following naval assets are inline with this dream.

Shivalik Class Frigates - first ship of this class commissioned

INS Chakra Nuclear Attack Submarine - commissioned

Talwar Class Frigates

Kolkata Class Destroyer

INS Vikramaditya Aircraft Carrier

INS Vikrant Aircraft Carrier

By the time INS Vikramaditya will arrive in December 2012, it's escorts will be ready to accompany it for the maiden deployment. By the time INS Vikramaditya will be commissioned, it's Battle Group will consist of two Kolkata Class Destroyers, one or two Shivalik Class Frigates, one or two new Talwar Class Frigates, one Nuclear-Powered Attack Submarine (INS Chakra), one newly acquired Replenishment Tanker.

Indian Navy is surely moving forward to deploy Two Carrier Battle Groups by 2012, one centered around INS Viraat with Eastern Fleet and one centered around INS Vikramaditya with Western Fleet. The information floating around in defence circles suggest, when INS Vikramaditya arrives, it will become the flagship of Western Fleet and INS Viraat will be moved to Eastern Fleet.