INS Vikramaditya is operationally deployed with MiG- 29K aircraft: Navy Chief

[shree835]

India's largest warship -- aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, is "operationally deployed" along with its fleet of MiG 29K combat aircraft, Navy chief Admiral Robin Dhowan said here today.

"The navy has inducted aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya which is now operationally deployed with MiG 29K aircraft embarked and being flown by Indian naval pilots," he told reporters here.

The 44,500-tonne aircraft carrier procured from Russia at a cost of USD 2.33 billion had arrived in India in January this year and is stationed at its home-base in Karwar in Karnataka.

Navy sources said the aircraft carrier has already taken part in one of the war games conducted recently by the Western Navy.

The aircraft carrier, which does not have air defence guns, is expected to get its weaponry for protection against aerial attacks at its scheduled first refit, they said.

Highlighting the list of capabilities and platforms to be acquired by the Navy in the near future, Dhowan said the first indigeneously built aircraft carrier christened INS Vikrant being built at the Cochin shipyard, will be ready for trials in 2017 and for delivery by 2018-end.

He said the force has already inducted nuclear attack submarine INS Chakra, the P-8I long range reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft along with the Shivalik class frigates among others, he said.

INS Vikramaditya is operationally deployed with MiG- 29K aircraft: Navy Chief | Business Standard

 

[IND151]

Good development

 

[Abingdonboy]

Highlighting the list of capabilities and platforms to be acquired by the Navy in the near future, Dhowan said the first indigeneously built aircraft carrier christened INS Vikrant being built at the Cochin shipyard, will be ready for trials in 2017 and for delivery by 2018-end.

2017 is very respectable to be honest for the IAC-1 with the keel only bang laid in 2009 itself and some hiccups along the way (issues initially with steel and then the loss of the gearbox) which delayed the construction by months if not years. So 8 years from keel laying to seat trails for India's first home-built ACC is not bad at all all things considered.



@Topic, when are we going to see IN MiG-29Ks launching and recovering from this ship??!! It's so frustrating, I'd have thought the IN would have wanted to show it off by now. With all the build up and anticipation I was expecting so much more exposure. I know the Indian Mil is ultra secretive but come on!