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INS Vikramaditya, the 44,570-tonne aircraft carrier, which was commissioned into the Indian Navy on November 16, 2013, will remain the Indian Navy’s largest ship for years to come. It is almost twice the size of the ageing aircraft carrier, INS Viraat, expected to be decommissioned after 2018, when it will be replaced by the 37,000-tonne indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, now being fitted out at the Kochi shipyard.
Both Vikramaditya and Vikrant will use the simpler and cheaper STOBAR or Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery system, which uses a ski-jump ramp to launch fighters with only about 180 metres of runway, and uses arrester wires for recovery of aircraft within 50 metres of landing.
The smaller aircraft carrier in service, the 28,000-tonne INS Viraat, uses STOVL or Short Take Off But Vertical Landing system. STOVL, like STOBAR, uses a ski-jump to launch an aircraft, but does not need expensive arrester wires, as the fighter aircraft has the capability to land vertically, like a helicopter.
STOVL is the simplest and cheapest option available to launch an aircraft, provided a suitable aircraft is available. Unfortunately, the only suitable modern aircraft for STOVL is the one being developed — American F35. It will cost over $200 million per aircraft at 2013 prices.
Aircraft carriers provide instant and sustained air power thousands of miles out at sea.
Both Vikramaditya and Vikrant will have a service life of about 50 years and will be capable of carrying and operating about 32 aircraft each, comprising a mix of 20 supersonic fighters — MiG 29K costing $40 million each, or the homebuilt Light Combat Aircraft costing $24 million each — and 12 helicopters.
Media reports indicate that the Indian Navy is planning to build a third aircraft carrier of about 65,000 tonnes, which may or may not be nuclear-propelled.
A total of 10 navies operate about 22 aircraft carriers. Only the US and French navies operate nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. The US Navy operates 10 nuclear-powered 100,000-tonne aircraft carriers, with each ship capable of carrying about 55 fighters, and an assortment of about 35 aircraft-cum-helicopters for other roles — anti-submarine, airborne early warning etc.
These 10 American carriers use the CATOBAR or Catapult Take-Off But Arrested Recovery system for aircraft launch in 100 metres and recovery in 50 metres. CATOBAR is a complex and the costliest option, but ensures a higher sortie rate of aircraft for various missions. The latest such American carriers like USS Ford cost $13 billion at 2013 prices and carry 90 aircraft, costing another $10 billion.
To be effective in a hostile enemy environment an aircraft carrier needs to carry at least 36 jet fighters, in addition to about 12 helicopters. This requires a ship of about 65,000 tonnes. The need for a 65,000-tonne aircraft carrier is in keeping with the trend in medium-sized navies such as Russia and China, which operate one such carrier each, and the United Kingdom, which is building two such carriers for delivery in 2016 and 2018 respectively, at an estimated cost of about $5 billion each.
Media reports indicate that the British, finding these ships and their fighter aircraft, the American F-35, to be prohibitively expensive, are ready to sell one of these carriers to India. India has apparently declined the offer in favour of indigenous construction.
While nuclear power gives a submarine total stealth by enabling it to remain submerged and practically undetectable for a patrol duration of about 90 days, it does not provide the same stealth to an aircraft carrier which is on the surface.
In addition, to avoid frequent expensive and time-consuming reactor nuclear refuelling, the American aircraft carriers refuel reactor uranium only after 25 years, by using reactors with Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU), which at over 93 per cent enrichment is weapons-grade and requires special metallurgy.
India currently does not have this capability, and its limited uranium stocks are best used for nuclear weapons and nuclear submarine propulsion. For these reasons, the next indigenous Indian aircraft carrier should be a conventionally powered STOBAR type with “affordable aircraft”, and the $2-3 billion thus saved should be used to make up the alarming and well-known shortfalls in our submarine force levels.
The writer retired as Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Naval Command, Visakhapatnam
Indian Navy’s nuke dream | The Asian Age
Both Vikramaditya and Vikrant will use the simpler and cheaper STOBAR or Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery system, which uses a ski-jump ramp to launch fighters with only about 180 metres of runway, and uses arrester wires for recovery of aircraft within 50 metres of landing.
The smaller aircraft carrier in service, the 28,000-tonne INS Viraat, uses STOVL or Short Take Off But Vertical Landing system. STOVL, like STOBAR, uses a ski-jump to launch an aircraft, but does not need expensive arrester wires, as the fighter aircraft has the capability to land vertically, like a helicopter.
STOVL is the simplest and cheapest option available to launch an aircraft, provided a suitable aircraft is available. Unfortunately, the only suitable modern aircraft for STOVL is the one being developed — American F35. It will cost over $200 million per aircraft at 2013 prices.
Aircraft carriers provide instant and sustained air power thousands of miles out at sea.
Both Vikramaditya and Vikrant will have a service life of about 50 years and will be capable of carrying and operating about 32 aircraft each, comprising a mix of 20 supersonic fighters — MiG 29K costing $40 million each, or the homebuilt Light Combat Aircraft costing $24 million each — and 12 helicopters.
Media reports indicate that the Indian Navy is planning to build a third aircraft carrier of about 65,000 tonnes, which may or may not be nuclear-propelled.
A total of 10 navies operate about 22 aircraft carriers. Only the US and French navies operate nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. The US Navy operates 10 nuclear-powered 100,000-tonne aircraft carriers, with each ship capable of carrying about 55 fighters, and an assortment of about 35 aircraft-cum-helicopters for other roles — anti-submarine, airborne early warning etc.
These 10 American carriers use the CATOBAR or Catapult Take-Off But Arrested Recovery system for aircraft launch in 100 metres and recovery in 50 metres. CATOBAR is a complex and the costliest option, but ensures a higher sortie rate of aircraft for various missions. The latest such American carriers like USS Ford cost $13 billion at 2013 prices and carry 90 aircraft, costing another $10 billion.
To be effective in a hostile enemy environment an aircraft carrier needs to carry at least 36 jet fighters, in addition to about 12 helicopters. This requires a ship of about 65,000 tonnes. The need for a 65,000-tonne aircraft carrier is in keeping with the trend in medium-sized navies such as Russia and China, which operate one such carrier each, and the United Kingdom, which is building two such carriers for delivery in 2016 and 2018 respectively, at an estimated cost of about $5 billion each.
Media reports indicate that the British, finding these ships and their fighter aircraft, the American F-35, to be prohibitively expensive, are ready to sell one of these carriers to India. India has apparently declined the offer in favour of indigenous construction.
While nuclear power gives a submarine total stealth by enabling it to remain submerged and practically undetectable for a patrol duration of about 90 days, it does not provide the same stealth to an aircraft carrier which is on the surface.
In addition, to avoid frequent expensive and time-consuming reactor nuclear refuelling, the American aircraft carriers refuel reactor uranium only after 25 years, by using reactors with Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU), which at over 93 per cent enrichment is weapons-grade and requires special metallurgy.
India currently does not have this capability, and its limited uranium stocks are best used for nuclear weapons and nuclear submarine propulsion. For these reasons, the next indigenous Indian aircraft carrier should be a conventionally powered STOBAR type with “affordable aircraft”, and the $2-3 billion thus saved should be used to make up the alarming and well-known shortfalls in our submarine force levels.
The writer retired as Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Naval Command, Visakhapatnam
Indian Navy’s nuke dream | The Asian Age
