Three Indigenous Aircraft Carriers being built at the Cochin Shipyard

[beckham]

IAC- Indigenous Aircraft Carrier

 

[Hulk]

About rumors, there is a bigger rumor that US and India are in discussion for aircrar career kitty hawk with f18 sh on board. The reason it is been discussed is because they can deliver it by 2010.

 

[ebungo]

About rumors, there is a bigger rumor that US and India are in discussion for aircrar career kitty hawk with f18 sh on board. The reason it is been discussed is because they can deliver it by 2010.

can you provide link ?

 

[Hulk]

can you provide link ?

I can't as I read this in another forum. I am also waiting for this news to be confirmed.

 

[brahmastra]

About rumors, there is a bigger rumor that US and India are in discussion for aircrar career kitty hawk with f18 sh on board. The reason it is been discussed is because they can deliver it by 2010.

now, thats the new one.

 

[Hulk]

I am eagerly awaiting confirmation, it can carry 70sh and best it will be delivered in 2010.

 

[marcos98]

can you provide link ?

OLD NEWS.......
Kitty Hawk To India Discussion Hits the US Media

Apparently, we are not the only ones who believe the Kitty Hawk is in play. This is the first article in the US media that has covered this topic, previous coverage has been exclusive to Indian press sources.

USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) aircraft carrier for free--provided the Indian Navy will agree to purchase 65 of the newest model Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets to be operated off of it.

If true--and if New Delhi accepts--this can do more than just sink the Russian carrier deal and the MiG-29K contract. The Indian Air Force (IAF) are deep in the throes of a tender to purchase almost 200 new fighter aircraft, with Boeing and RSK-MiG both in the field of six contenders. An order of 200 fighter airplanes is unheard of--larger than any such export sale in more than 20 years. In an era where sales of 12, 20, or 40 fighters are more common, this is the PowerBall Lotto of export competitions.

If the Indian Navy decide to take on the F/A-18E/Fs, it makes logistical sense for the IAF to do the same and the competition for this massive sale would probably be over for all of the other competitors before it gets started.


The rumors of this possibility entered the media discussion in India back in December, in fact earlier this week we highlighted the difference in cost between Russia and India appears to be $600 million. As both the Weekly Standard article and we have pointed out, it is the purchase of 200 fighters that is the real objective, not the carrier.

We are mixed on this. As comments have pointed out, this is basically a 180 degree approach than that of the Washington Treaty which moved to limit arms buildups across the world. In this case, both Russia and apparently the US are looking to 'give' an aircraft carrier away, because both Russia and the US know India is the primary military sales market for the next decade. India is building its capacity for domestic military production, but they are still many years away from this.

We believe this is a difficult choice for India, not as cut and dry as it might appear. The Kitty Hawk might be old, but she is much more capable than the Gorshkov, and unlike the Gorshkov the Kitty Hawk can be fielded within the time frame India desires a replacement carrier, but there are problems that would need to be addressed.

First, the Kitty Hawk isn't just big, she is huge and requires a much larger crew than the Gorshkov. Second, she will be more expensive to operate and she will need some work done to be remain operational for an extended period of time, work the US is unlikely to pay for. While the article points out the US is willing to 'give' the Kitty Hawk to India for free, that doesn't mean there won't be maintenance costs that will need to be worked out.

Will this happen? We will have to wait and see, but there is a good reason the US may sweeten the pot. Russia has not converted its economy from a military industrial complex economy yet, and an order of 200 fighters from India would allow Russia to continue as is for several more years. The only way Russia converts out of its military sales mentality is for sales to dry up, and should the US win the fighter deal with India it could force major changes within Russia's export economy, and while that would create many short term problems for Russia, it would be very good for Russia and the world long term as their economy is forced to adapt to compete.

If the US wins the fighter deal, it is a good bet Russia is going to be pissed off. If the US ends up replacing the Gorshkov with the Kitty Hawk as well, it would be like a double kick in the nuts for Russia. At that point, the predictive variables become difficult to measure. It honestly has us wondering out loud if the India does pick the US, would Congress block it solely out of fear of backlash from Russia? Nevermind the proliferation issues, which are important issues, but the question whether the US Congress would back down to Russian rhetoric is not a small issue, as many are ready to do so today on the missile defense issue.

Welcome to the future, where globalization is the only new factor to the energy desires of rapidly developing nations. After all, in the 1930s, the need to secure resources was a major motivation for Japanese expansion. Over the next several decades, it isn't about conquering nations for resources, but it is about protecting access and delivery of those resources, and the Kitty Hawk can go a long way towards those ends for India.

 

[marcos98]

LATEST NEWS......

Subject: Kitty Hawk to India not likely
Stratfor.com is reporting that accoridng to an article in the Weekly Standard "raised the possibility of U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates offering New Delhi the soon-to-be-decommissioned USS Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier during his trip to India. Then (and probably on a related note), Moscow made broad new overtures to resolve its longstanding dispute with New Delhi over the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier. The potential sale of the Kitty Hawk ? though U.S. defense officials adamantly have denied that it is even a possibility ? would mark one of the most significant developments in global naval dynamics since the collapse of the Soviet navy."

The article states that it woudl most certaily be available before Admiral Gorshkov allowing India to gets ist carrier program back on schedule but that

"The Kitty Hawk, as an order-of-magnitude step above the Gorshkov, would represent several significant shifts. Its aircraft capacity is several times greater than either the Viraat or the Gorshkov?s, complicating not only logistics and maintenance coordination but also the much more complex management of the flight deck and flight operations, for which Indian sailors are unprepared. (The United States has spent decades mastering carrier aviation; it is not an art that can simply be picked up.) Even the manning and operation of a ship requiring a complement of nearly 3,000 (not including as many as 2,500 additional attached carrier air wing personnel) would present profound new challenges for the Indian navy.

And thus, especially now that the Gorshkov deal appears to be on the mend, New Delhi could find itself operating three different classes of aircraft carriers built in three different nations ? each with very unique design features capable of deploying a different class of carrier aircraft. These will, in part, dictate very different flight deck procedures and flight operations practices.

Such a disparate carrier fleet has nightmare written all over it in terms of everything from coherent training of flight deck personnel and pilots to maintenance and logistical costs ? to say nothing of attempting to coordinate operations. It could indeed be more trouble than it is worth."

 

[beckham]

I am eagerly awaiting confirmation, it can carry 70sh and best it will be delivered in 2010.

I thought they were just rumors ! there were mainly 2 rumors,

1.Reports that the United States had offered to gift India its Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier, which is due for decommissioning as an alternate for Gorshkov. Admiral Mehta denied reports and said Even if the offer were made, India would not accept it, he said, because the ship was “too old, too big.”

^^ i think he was right !

2. The second one was that,If the MRCA contract was given to US, they would give the Kitty hawk for free ! but it too was later denied !

________________________________________________________

 

[Chanakyaa]

And Its better that we actually stop getting lured by these Older Carriers now.
Why Buy Old when u can make a New one ON YOUR OWN?

If India needs a Super Carrier, It must go ahead and build one herself ::

#1. If we Get Kitty Hawk ( 2011 ) OR HMS Prince of whales ( 2017 ) ; We cannot build a suuden prepardness and the logistics to accomodate these carriers. Neither the Personnel , Nor The docks.

#2. If Numbers are a matter, we will already have 3 Carriers by 2020.

#3. If Indian Navy feels it needs Super Carriers, Its better we start a fresh design so that we can not only have one but More Number of Super Carriers in Future. What i mean is Why Have one OLD Kitty hawk when you can Make New Ones on Your Own..

Just consider This - One Arihant took 20 Years and Next 5 will take only 10-15 Years ! We no longer need to depend on Leases, we can make our Own. That the beifit or Indeginious Product.

#4. If we Go for Super Carriers, i personally feel that with 80MW reactor in hand we MUST go for Nuclear Super Carriers.

#5. Lastly Building our Own Carriers/Super Carriers Brings Saves Money, Gives us Better Research and Technological Advantage and Most Importanatly - Jobs.

 

[rajeev]

Personally, I think we should focus on building up nuclear submarines than buying these aircraft carriers. India is not a superpower and we are not going to project power too far away from the shores. The latest planes in India's inventory and additional new getting acquired via MRCA is capable of projecting airpower for 3K radius. With air-refueling, these ranges can be extended.

India's only regional competitor China has been extensively getting into Indian Ocean and without the use of additional submarines and frigates, we might find our shores vunerable to attack. If India's truly serious also consider anti-submarine helicopter carriers.

 

[SU-57E]

in some other forum , there is a report of british ministry od defence rubbishing the guardian reports of the sale of queen elizabeth ... so it brings an abrupt end to a beautiful dream.
as much as kitty hawk is concerned i think this is just a lollypop being given to india to select us fighters ... anyhow it will be just waste of money to procure it.. even if it is given for free... just maintaining it will cost a bomb with no current purpose because right now we are not in position to project our power to that extent... its better to have a fleet of submarines prefebraly nuke ones with stealth frigates and some ships on the line of ins-jalashwa with anti submarine helicopters on it...

but as they say there is no limit to desire .. so we should not desire more than we can afford... because all the three arms of indian armed forces need major overhauling not only navy.....
feel free to comment and disagree.....

 

[Chanakyaa]

in some other forum , there is a report of british ministry od defence rubbishing the guardian reports of the sale of queen elizabeth ... so it brings an abrupt end to a beautiful dream.
as much as kitty hawk is concerned i think this is just a lollypop being given to india to select us fighters ... anyhow it will be just waste of money to procure it.. even if it is given for free... just maintaining it will cost a bomb with no current purpose because right now we are not in position to project our power to that extent... its better to have a fleet of submarines prefebraly nuke ones with stealth frigates and some ships on the line of ins-jalashwa with anti submarine helicopters on it...

but as they say there is no limit to desire .. so we should not desire more than we can afford... because all the three arms of indian armed forces need major overhauling not only navy.....
feel free to comment and disagree.....

As i said above Both were Not Good For Us.
No Dream is Broken.

Dream of What you havent Done.. Dream of Making something New is Far Far better that Buying an Old Junk or Ready Made item.

Arihant - Even Late is Better than Akula for Obvious Reasons.

 

[SU-57E]

i totally agree with you............

 

[gogbot]

You Mean This :



I Think India is NOT yet ready to go for super carriers.
First we need to have docks to handle these massive carriers.

The Chinese are not gonna wait for us.
They already have Nuke subs.

And are building carriers.
and big ones. Bigger than ours.

They are no doubt going to put Nuclear reactors in their second generation carriers.

We are playing the catch up game and we cant walk at a casual pace.