It looks
as if India's plan to have three carrier battle groups, centred around INS Viraat,
INS Vikramaditya and an indigenously built aircraft carrier in Cochin shipyard,
has suffered a huge setback, reports RS Chauhan
The
Indian Navy will be without an operational aircraft carrier for over four
months between November and March 2013 as the lone and ageing INS Viraat heads
for a longer refit to Cochin very soon, top sources in the naval headquarters
say.
The
naval HQ has told the defence ministry that the delay in delivery of INS
Vikramaditya (Admiral Gorshkov) from Russia has made it imperative for the Navy
to prolong the lifespan of India's lone aircraft carrier, INS Viraat.
INS
Viraat, formerly HMS Hermes, a British ship, is over half a century old and has
undergone several upgrades and life extensions, as India has been unable to
either build its own carrier or get the Russians to deliver one for the past
eight years.
With the
latest schedule for a longer refit to be carried out at the Cochin Shipyard,
INS Viraat will be out of action till late March-early April, the sources said.
Meanwhile,
India is likely to seek clarity from Russia about the revised delivery schedule
of INS Vikramaditya this week since media reports have been contradictory.
The
Hindu newspaper, reporting from Moscow, said the sea trials were not a failure
as initially reported. Its Moscow reporter said: 'The controversial sea trials
of the INS Vikramaditya in Russia, initially described as an embarrassing
failure, appear to have actually been a success, while 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 programme of tests had
been largely fulfilled.
'The
results of the trials were analysed and the remaining work was detailed in a
protocol signed by Vice Admiral Nadella Niranjan Kumar, controller, warship
production and acquisition (CWPA).
'The
main 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. Its sophisticated radio-electronic, navigation
and other systems demonstrated high efficiency and reliability,' the newspaper
reported.
The
Times of India, on the other hand, said: 'The delivery of the already
much-delayed Vikramaditya was to take place on December 9 as per the re-revised
timeline, but crippling engine-boiler malfunctions during the carrier's recent
sea trials have put paid to the plan... and now, it's certain the 44,570-ton
Vikramaditya will not be ready for induction anytime before end-2013 at the
earliest.'
Against
this backdrop, it looks as if India's plan to have three carrier battle groups,
centred around INS Viraat, INS Vikramaditya and an indigenously built aircraft
carrier in Cochin shipyard, has suffered a huge setback following these
developments.
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