INS Vikramaditya may take more time to come to India

[arp2041]

Though Putin is keen on ensuring that the aircraft carrier is ready by year-end

Despite Russian President Vladimir Putin taking an active interest in ensuring that the aircraft carrier Gorshkov is ready by the end of the year, top level Indian sources fear a further six-month delay.

Flight trials — landing of fighter aircraft on the ship’s deck — started late and will have to be suspended later this month due to the onset of near-Arctic conditions in the Russian north. The trials are then expected to resume when the weather relents, most likely in March next year.

But Russian sources said there was a “slight difference in formulation.” The flag-raising ceremony on the gigantic ship will be held on the designated date in December and an Indian crew will start taking over operations.

Cost escalation

“This is what happened with INS Chakra [nuclear powered submarine]. It was given to India two or three months in advance. So when we talk of giving the Gorshkov [now called INS Vikramaditya], it might mean raising the flag and an Indian crew taking over. It won’t reach Indian shores by the end of the year but the crew will be aboard and the official ceremony would have been held,” explained the Russian sources.

“Mr. Putin’s intervention did help and this delay will be an embarrassment to him because he had intervened to get the project back on rails. We will also face an extremely difficult situation because of this,” said Indian government sources. The delivery of the aircraft carrier has been delayed by four years and the refurbishment cost of the partly-gutted ship, given free to India as a goodwill gesture, has almost doubled. This led Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to mention the matter to Mr. Putin when they last met.

Lavrov’s visit

However, the issue is unlikely to figure during Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s visit on October 4 but will be on the table when Dmitry Rogozin, Russia’s new pointsman on India, arrives here on October 15 to discuss military matters with Defence Minister A.K. Antony.

Despite the higher price India has been forced to pay, officials here maintain that New Delhi will never be able to get a carrier of this size. The cost escalation happened because both sides were in a hurry to seal the deal — the Russian shipyard was facing an acute financial crunch and Indian negotiators were under pressure to sign the contract before the general elections of 2004.

India has one operational aircraft-carrier INS Viraat, purchased second-hand from the British, which will function for another couple of years. According to the Navy, the country should have three aircraft carriers. While two would be deployed on either coastal flanks and beyond, the third could undergo refits. Currently, India is left with no aircraft carrier whenever Viraat has to undergo extensive refits due to its age. India is indigenously building an aircraft carrier, much smaller than the Gorshkov, at Kochi.


The Hindu : News / National : INS Vikramaditya may take more time to come to India

 

[shiv]

Though Putin is keen on ensuring that the aircraft carrier is ready by year-end

Despite Russian President Vladimir Putin taking an active interest in ensuring that the aircraft carrier Gorshkov is ready by the end of the year, top level Indian sources fear a further six-month delay.

Flight trials — landing of fighter aircraft on the ship’s deck — started late and will have to be suspended later this month due to the onset of near-Arctic conditions in the Russian north. The trials are then expected to resume when the weather relents, most likely in March next year.

But Russian sources said there was a “slight difference in formulation.” The flag-raising ceremony on the gigantic ship will be held on the designated date in December and an Indian crew will start taking over operations.

Cost escalation

“This is what happened with INS Chakra [nuclear powered submarine]. It was given to India two or three months in advance. So when we talk of giving the Gorshkov [now called INS Vikramaditya], it might mean raising the flag and an Indian crew taking over. It won’t reach Indian shores by the end of the year but the crew will be aboard and the official ceremony would have been held,” explained the Russian sources.

“Mr. Putin’s intervention did help and this delay will be an embarrassment to him because he had intervened to get the project back on rails. We will also face an extremely difficult situation because of this,” said Indian government sources. The delivery of the aircraft carrier has been delayed by four years and the refurbishment cost of the partly-gutted ship, given free to India as a goodwill gesture, has almost doubled. This led Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to mention the matter to Mr. Putin when they last met.

Lavrov’s visit

However, the issue is unlikely to figure during Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s visit on October 4 but will be on the table when Dmitry Rogozin, Russia’s new pointsman on India, arrives here on October 15 to discuss military matters with Defence Minister A.K. Antony.

Despite the higher price India has been forced to pay, officials here maintain that New Delhi will never be able to get a carrier of this size. The cost escalation happened because both sides were in a hurry to seal the deal — the Russian shipyard was facing an acute financial crunch and Indian negotiators were under pressure to sign the contract before the general elections of 2004.

India has one operational aircraft-carrier INS Viraat, purchased second-hand from the British, which will function for another couple of years. According to the Navy, the country should have three aircraft carriers. While two would be deployed on either coastal flanks and beyond, the third could undergo refits. Currently, India is left with no aircraft carrier whenever Viraat has to undergo extensive refits due to its age. India is indigenously building an aircraft carrier, much smaller than the Gorshkov, at Kochi.


The Hindu : News / National : INS Vikramaditya may take more time to come to India

this speaks volume about the journalist's tenacious behaviour

 

[IndoUS]

I don't get it it will be handed over to Indian crew, in December, and the flight test can be done in India so what's the delay?

 

[shiv]

I don't get it it will be handed over to Indian crew, in December, and the flight test can be done in India so what's the delay?

Delay is because the all flight trials won't be complete.. but that won't mean the ship can't sail..

 

[arp2041]

I don't get it it will be handed over to Indian crew, in December, and the flight test can be done in India so what's the delay?

I think what the Russians are saying that though the AC would be handed over to the Indian crew in December but that does not mean that the ship will start it's journey towards India as planned earlier, now some more trials will resume in march next year & after the final trials are finished in Russia than only can the ship reach the Indian shores, so that can mean that we see INS viky in India only in the middle of the next year & not early next year.

this speaks volume about the journalist's tenacious behaviour

mate u can say so, but i guess The Hindu is the most authentic newspaper of India

 

[Abingdonboy]

FFS! This is why I want India to scale back all defence deals with Russia to the bare minimum, we have seen how the US works wrt India ie on time (if not early) and on budget (if not under) but with the Russians it is the complete opposite and for once the fault doesn't lie on the Indian side- the Russians just can't get their sh!t together and as it is India is looking elsewhere. March 2013 is when the weather will be suitable for flight trails to resume so don't expect the Vikramditya in the IOR before July 2013!!



It's like the Russians are either complete fools or pathological idiots.

 

[arp2041]

FFS! This is why I want India to scale back all defence deals with Russia to the bare minimum, we have seen how the US works wrt India ie on time (if not early) and on budget (if not under) but with the Russians it is the complete opposite and for once the fault doesn't lie on the Indian side- the Russians just can't get their sh!t together and as it is India is looking elsewhere. March 2013 is when the weather will be suitable for flight trails to resume so don't expect the Vikramditya in the IOR before July 2013!!



It's like the Russians are either complete fools or pathological idiots.

The issue is India has no other option but to work with Russia for 10-15 years more (till we get self sufficient), Russia is the only country that could have given India a nuke sub, It is the only country in the world that India can trust to build a 5th gen fighter + it has given tech for our own INS Arihant + remember bro, no other country could have offered India such a capable AC at such a reasonable price. As everything comes with a price, i guess delay is the price India is paying

 

[Abingdonboy]

The issue is India has no other option but to work with Russia for 10-15 years more (till we get self sufficient), Russia is the only country that could have given India a nuke sub, It is the only country in the world that India can trust to build a 5th gen fighter + it has given tech for our own INS Arihant + remember bro, no other country could have offered India such a capable AC at such a reasonable price. As everything comes with a price, i guess delay is the price India is paying

That's why I say "bare minimum" ie 5th gen fighters,SSBNs and ACCs things India can get from nowhere else. Scrap the MTA, forget about follow-on orders for T-90s, forget MIL-17V5 follow-ons. There are suitable replacements elsewhere that may be slightly more expensive but are worth it.

 

[SinoChallenger]

Oh those Russians are tough business partners they say "bend over again"

 

[Paan Singh]

Oh those Russians are tough business partners they say "bend over again"

 

[Fireaxe888]

Why can't they hand it over in December (or even earlier), sail it to India and continue the trials there?

 

[Abingdonboy]

Why can't they hand it over in December (or even earlier), sail it to India and continue the trials there?

Well if there's a problem that is thrown up by the trails then it would have to sail back to Russia for re-design/modification. It is simply unnessercary and would be a waste of time potenitally. The IN is a proffesional force they're not willing to accept a sub-standard product, they will wait until it meets all their exacting standards before sailing it to India.

 

[arp2041]

I think we had enough mocking at the Russians for the INS viky delay, but it's time we should look at a different aspect, i wanted to know if the carrier is worth the wait, i know it's capabilities but what i wanna know is where will it stand as far as other powerful navies are concerned? + what additional capabilities it will give over INS viraat (apart from the 4.5 gen mig 29s).

 

[shiv]

I think we had enough mocking at the Russians for the INS viky delay, but it's time we should look at a different aspect, i wanted to know if the carrier is worth the wait, i know it's capabilities but what i wanna know is where will it stand as far as other powerful navies are concerned? + what additional capabilities it will give over INS viraat (apart from the 4.5 gen mig 29s).

one is 28k tonnes and other is 45k tonnes displacement.. what more to say ?

 

[arp2041]

one is 28k tonnes and other is 45k tonnes displacement.. what more to say ?

that's the easiest difference one can find...

so when one asks u to compare yuvraj with sachin, u say yuvraj is 6'2" & sachin is 5'5"