Eye on China, Modi government clears funds for India's largest-ever warship

[anant_s]

EW DELHI: India has finally set the ball rolling for the eventual construction of its largest-ever warship, the 65,000-tonne aircraft carrier INS Vishal. The defence acquisitions council (DAC) has sanctioned an initial Rs 30 crore as seed money for the project.

Just before PM Narendra Modi left for China on Wednesday night, the Manohar Parrikar-led DAC cleared a flurry of long-pending projects for ultra-light howitzers, medium-transport aircraft, light utility helicopters and the like worth over Rs 25,000 crore, as reported by TOI.

But tucked away in the approvals was the relatively minor amount of Rs 30 crore for the indigenous aircraft carrier-II (IAC-II). But its potential is huge, and very significant for a country that is vying with China for the same strategic space in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

Carrier battle groups are the final word in raw power projection around the globe, capable as they are of travelling 600 nautical miles a day with their supersonic fighters and missiles as well as accompanying destroyers, frigates and submarines.

Officials said there were three main reasons for the DAC's green signal to the "commencement of preparatory work for construction of IAC-II". INS Vishal is likely to have nuclear propulsion for greater endurance as well as CATOBAR (catapult assisted take-off but arrested recovery) configuration for launching fighters as well as heavier aircraft from its deck.

The first obviously is the increasing presence of the Chinese Navy in the IOR, coupled with its assiduous attempts to establish logistical bases in the region. "After inducting its first carrier Liaoning in 2012, China is building four carriers, two conventional and two nuclear-powered. The latter will be over 90,000-tonne super carriers like the American Nimitz-class ones," said an officer.

Two, the 56-year-old INS Viraat will retire early next year, leaving India with only one operational aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya. The 40,000-tonne IAC-I or INS Vikrant being built at Cochin Shipyard will be ready for induction only by 2018-2019, as earlier reported by TOI.

"It will take well over a decade to build INS Vishal. Its size, propulsion, its aircraft etc will have to be finalized before the construction can actually begin," he added.

Finally, India and the US are now set to collaborate on aircraft carrier technologies, with New Delhi having asked Washington to share technology for EMALS (electromagnetic aircraft launch systems) developed by General Atomics, under the bilateral Defence Trade and Technology Initiative (DTTI). "US defence secretary Ashton Carter and the top brass of General Atomics are slated to come to India in the first week of June," said another official.

All Indian carriers till now have had angled ski-jumps for fighters to take off under their own power in STOBAR (short take-off but arrested recovery) operations. But this limits operations to only fighters like MiG-29Ks. With CATOBAR, IAC-II will be able to handle more as well as heavier aircraft for surveillance, early-warning, electronic warfare and other operations.

Eye on China, Modi government clears funds for India's largest-ever warship - The Times of India

 

[SR-91]

Indian Navy should go for 2 Vishal Carriers, instead of 1. While one is out for patrols, the other can go for maintenance. This will assure at least 1 Carrier on each side if the Ocean.

 

[migflug]

So it will have catobar not EMALS. Actually its good .emal are too costly .we cant afford right now

 

[anant_s]

Indian Navy should go for 2 Vishal Carriers, instead of 1. While one is out for patrols, the other can go for maintenance. This will assure at least 1 Carrier on each side if the Ocean.

The plans are to have 5 ACs in long term (including INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant). INS Vishal specifications are still not out and most information is based on statements made by top officials.

So it will have catobar not EMALS. Actually its good .emal are too costly .we cant afford right now

Not sure, EMALS could actually be a part of final IAC 2 package, given recent discussion between Indian PM and US President and also India's interest in the technology.

 

[The_Sidewinder]

Indian Navy should go for 2 Vishal Carriers, instead of 1. While one is out for patrols, the other can go for maintenance. This will assure at least 1 Carrier on each side if the Ocean.

Without even going for two vishals simultaniously IN can surely deploy two ICs in both seas. INS Vikramaditya in one sea & IAC 1 in another.

Indian Navy should go for 2 Vishal Carriers, instead of 1. While one is out for patrols, the other can go for maintenance. This will assure at least 1 Carrier on each side if the Ocean.

Without even going for two vishals simultaniously IN can surely deploy two ICs in both seas. INS Vikramaditya in one sea & IAC 1 in another.

 

[Prajapati]

I agree we need to go for two 65K tons Vishal carriers simultaneously like Britain.

We are looking at this 15-20 years into the future. Build 2 simultaneously so that by 2030 we can have 4 carriers in our Navy. I do not expect the budget to be a concern in the next 15-20 years.

Check out how the Brits do it. Modular construction at its finest.

Like Lego blocks ........... just stick up up together and voila, you have and AC

 

[OrionHunter]

Guys! Get a load of India's new 65,000 ton nuclear powered aircraft carrier INS Vishal (equipped with EMALS), in the works......

 

[migflug]

Guys! Get a load of India's new 65,000 ton nuclear powered aircraft carrier INS Vishal (equipped with EMALS), in the works......

It looks more of a stobar than Catobar.

 

[topgun047]

The new carrier with a tonnage of 40k, flight wing of Mig 29ks and Tekas mk 2 and a ski ramp can hardly be called contemporary.
And yet IN is fully behind the project from the start. Compare and contrast this behavior with that of IA and especially the IAF who want nothing except the best from indigenous sources while happily inducting sub standard or immature foreign platforms.
This behavior which reeks of corruption at high levels and is worst form of anti nationalism as it is under overhang of defense sector is sickening to the core.
About time we start tracking movements and bank accounts of people who make these decisions.

 

[JaiShriAllahNath]

I agree we need to go for two 65K tons Vishal carriers simultaneously like Britain.
Check out how the Brits do it. Modular construction at its finest.
Like Lego blocks ........... just stick up up together and voila, you have and AC

Every ship is made using modular construction, not just carriers. There is nothing new in "modular construction" method. Britishers learnt it from Indian shipbuilders in 18th century. Read Goa archives of VATICAN of 1800-1850 era. Steel distillation technology(along with factories, smelters) was transferred to Europe, from Rajasthan.

All of India's 2000+ year old temples are made using "modular construction". First all parts are made and then "assembly" begins. Even modern buildings haven't adopted this ancient technology yet.

Have you seen Modern bridges(Cement blocks prepared by L&T)? Even they have adopted hindu temple technology, of assembling big parts, rather than making whole on-site.

Have you visited construction site of Ram-temple in Ayodhya? It has used same ancient bharatiya technology. They have already prepared big parts of temple(even giant pillars). Now these will be "assembled" once work begins. This required no help from Britain or white-men.

Its all about marketing. White-men has invented less, stolen more. But they have marketed stolen goods as "western". Credit must be given for theft-craft.

Hindus lack the art of "theft" and marketing, because they are "dharmic" people. West believes in "survival of fittest" philosophy, which is for animals, not human beings. That's the reason white-men(from daitya bloodline) is called "uncivilized" in ancient indian texts, because they refuse dharma based lifestyle. They are believers in plunder, loot and exploitation of everything that exists in universe, just like "Locusts"(parjeevi), with no respect for life and rights of others.

Note: The word "daitya" doesn't mean Rakshasa type looks/faces. Word "daitya" is used for those who originated from Diti's womb. Diti was wife of one of saptarishi(forgot his name).

Remember a basic rule - dharma demands "responsibility", "accountability" for ur actions, from you. That's why it is boring and out of fashion in kaliyuga. Adharma(which mohammed used to build his cult, by offering women as war-bounties to men who join his army) is beautiful, deceptive, greedy, exciting, charming but demands zero accountability, you have "full freedom"(to exploit others). Vatican has built christian cult on this principle, which mohammed copied from his wife(she was a jesuit). Mohammed got funding from Vatican, to attack temples and grow his cult.

Today, west helps Saudi+Pak(a proxy mafia for white-men) in same way the Vatican helped Mohammed in his cult foundation years. Enemy of Abrahamics is common => Idol worshiping Asia and their mineral resources. Abrahamics despise Chinese culture as much as they despise idol worshiping, because both have same cultural DNA. Yin/Yang = Shiv/Parvati.

If you really think USA stands for "freedom" then ask yourself one question - Why within 2 years of 1971(breakup of pakistan), USA signed a OIL-Dollar "strategic partnership" agreement with most barbaric cult of history(Saudi Arabia)? Simple. 1971 war on Islamic state of Pakistan, scared the sh1t out of Abrahamic western world. They jumped in to salvage the situation. This 1974 agreement helped Islam in subcontinent. Indira Gandhi buckled under pressure and pushed "secular amendment" into constitution(it was pre-planned, emergency was an after-thought).