Indian Navy News & Discussions

[sudhir007]

The navy surfaces

The “launch” of the first Indian-built nuclear submarine marks the beginning of a new phase for India’s navy. Not because of what everyone has commented on—namely, the fact that the country has joined a global club of (so far) five countries, because that can be said to be true only when the Arihant and its nuclear arsenal become operational, in a couple of years—but because it signals the effort that is under way to build the country’s submarine fleet (and indeed the entire Indian Navy) after a hiatus of a couple of decades. India’s submarine fleet today is smaller than it was 15 or 20 years ago, in large part because the programme to build HDW submarines at Mazagon Docks was scrapped in the wake of a bribery scandal that surfaced in the early 1980s; this was the first of several episodes in the last quarter century when a pay-off scandal derailed an armaments acquisition programme. India’s surface fleet too is no bigger than it was 30 or 35 years ago, though boat-for-boat the fighting capacity has improved. Now, the programme to build 10 stealth frigates promises to change that picture, helped also by the planned acquisition of some boats from Russia (including a controversial aircraft carrier). Navies take decades to build, so it may be 2020 before India’s naval fighting capacity is significantly enhanced. The good news is that the task has begun.

Progress has been slow because the country is on a learning curve (the Arihant has taken more than a quarter century to build), and because of limited production capacity. Now, for the first time, there are two fully booked production enterprises, Mazagon Docks and Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers. In addition, Cochin Shipyard is building an indigenous aircraft carrier whose keel was laid in February, with two more to follow. For good measure, private enterprises like Larsen & Toubro have increased their capabilities, and have contributed to the overall effort. The positive aspect of the building of naval fighting capability is the extent to which the ship acquisition programme has been indigenised; this has been possible because the navy has worked closely with manufacturers in a way that has not been in evidence when it comes to either the air force or the army.

The good news has come along with reports last week of the Comptroller and Auditor General slamming the navy for going in for an old aircraft carrier that will cost more than a new one. It is no secret that the Russians have raised the price of the Gorshkov quite substantially, more than once, causing much heartburn in the defence ministry. But India has persisted with the deal, presumably for strategic reasons. The CAG report should be carefully studied to see whether the contract could have been handled differently. Other lessons from the experience should also be built into institutional memory so that the experience is not repeated. It is also possible that the full story has not come out, in that the price has gone up in part because the navy has asked for more hardware and software to be loaded onto the ship.

 

[sudhir007]

Coastal security exercise kicks off - Bhubaneswar - City - NEWS - The Times of India

KENDRAPADA: The navy and Indian Coast Guard on Wednesday took part in their first ever joint exercise with state police and other security agencies
in the Bay of Bengal off Orissa coast.
The exercise was conducted in the sea and on land near Paradeep in Jagatsinghpur and seaside villages of Talachua and Kharinashi in Kendrapada district, a senior official of Indian Coast Guard in Paradeep said on Wednesday.

The exercise marked the beginning of a two-day coastal security exercise to guard the 484-km Orissa coast after Pakistani terrorists attacked Mumbai last December. "Its a learning exercise for us," Paradeep marine police station officer T Patel said. Four ships of India Coast Guard and two navy ships joined the amphibious operations, said a senior official.

 

[Mig-29]

Navy chief in Gorshkov.


"If you can find me a warship of this kind for under $2-billion, I will write you a cheque." That's Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sureesh Mehta on the freshly contentious acquisition of the Admiral Gorshkov/INS Vikramaditya aircraft carrier. At a seminar this morning on self-reliance for the Navy, the Admiral also stoutly defended the CAG's indictment that the Navy had not worked out a proper risk analysis as far as the acquisition of the Gorshkov was concerned. He said, "That is simply out of the question. We had been looking at this acquisition since the early 1990s. One of our officers [former Deputy Chief Vice Admiral SV Gopalachari], as you know, died in harness working on this acquisition."

LiveFist - The Best of Indian Defence: Navy Chief Keeps Gorshkov Afloat

 

[sudhir007]

domain-b.com : Israeli Navy successfully tests improved Barak missile

The Israeli Navy successfully tested the Barak surface-air-missile system some days back intercepting an incoming "enemy" missile. Sources said the interceptor missile was an improved version of the Barak missile that will be installed on all Israeli missile ships.

According to Israeli defence sources, the enemy missile, fired from a missile corvette, was intercepted and completely destroyed by a Barak missile launched from another Sa'ar 5-class missile ship.

The test took place in the Mediterranean Sea.

It may be noted that in course of the Second Lebanon War, a Hezbullah-fired Chinese C-802 missile struck another Sa'ar 5-class missile corvette, INS Hanit, killing four sailors. It was claimed that the ships radar systems had been deactivated due to poor intelligence and its Barak system was not functioning.

Israel Aerospace Industries is currently in the final development stages of the Barak-8 missile, which is scheduled to become operational next year. The new missile will reportedly feature a more advanced seeker and be capable of longer ranges.

India and the Barak-8

 

[Mig-29]

S1000 SSK back in the reckoning for Indian navy

A combination of factors is understood to be leading to the Indian Navy positively leaning back towards seriously considering the Russo-Italian S1000 submarine for its (Project-75A) second line of diesel-electric attack submarines to be built under technology transfer within the country. The S1000, a joint design and development initiative between Russia's Central Design Bureau for Marine Engineering "Rubin" and Italy's Fincantieri, is apparently being considered with as much seriousness now as the larger Amur 1650, currently assumed to be the frontrunner for the highly lucrative deal (a good chunk of the Navy favours the Amur). A presentation on the S1000 was made to the Indian Navy in late 2006 and then in early 2008, though the Indian Navy had observed at the time, that the S1000 may be too small for its needs (the fact that anti-surface warfare was a stated secondary profile did not go down well either at the time). The photograph (Figure 4) of the U212's combat centre was used in the presentation made to the Navy on the S1000.

Note, however, that Rosoboronexport is pushing only the Amur 1650, it's only the Italian Ministry of Defence that is pushing the S1000, even though Rosobornexport is a partner.

Unlike the DCNS Scorpene line (Project 75), the second line of submarines will look to purchase submarines with air independent propulsion (AIP) systems as standard. And unlike Rubin's proposed AIP system on the Amur, the Indian Navy is understood to be very keen on the S1000's AIP system, particularly because its based on the Siemens SiNavyCIS BZM-120 PEM hydrogen fuel cell (Figure 3).

The S1000 also features specialised non-magnetic hull fabrication, a feature that the Navy wants in its next line. The HDW U-214 is almost definitely out of the reckoning -- Pakistan is in line to order three from Germany. Also, the Indian Navy is simply not convinced that the Type 214 takes any meaningful advanced technologies from the Type 212/212A of which it is an export derivative.

LiveFist - The Best of Indian Defence: S1000 SSK back in the reckoning for Indian Navy?

 

[sudhir007]

In the hot Kolkata sun, on the banks of the Hooghly river, craftsmen from Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) swarm over what will be the Indian Navy’s most high-tech stealth warship. For GRSE, the navy’s order for four anti-submarine warfare (ASW) corvettes is its flagship project. But Project 28, as it is termed, is two years behind schedule.

The first corvette was to join the fleet early next year. Business Standard discovered, during a first-ever media visit to this secretive project, that it will be delivered only in June 2012. The other three corvettes of Project 28 will follow at one-year intervals.

The major reason for the delay: the Indian Navy has stipulated such unprecedented standards of stealth for every piece of equipment on board that suppliers have struggled to develop engines, transmission, air-conditioning and power-generating systems that work silently enough to meet those requirements. Furthermore, the navy mandated that Indian suppliers would provide much of that equipment.

The Project 28 corvettes are 2,500-tonne warships that will protect Indian Navy battle groups and coastal installations from lurking enemy submarines. In the deadly cat-and-mouse game between ASW corvettes and submarines, the stealthier vessel is usually the winner, detecting and destroying its opponent after sneaking up undetected. The challenge of Project 28 has been to minimise vibrations and noise from the ship’s machinery, propellers, and from water swirling past the hull.

Success has come late in developing some of this equipment. The Kirloskar group has delivered the engines, albeit after a delay. Earlier this year, DCNS of France supplied the Raft Mounted Gearbox, which almost completely suppresses noise from the power pack. But Wartsila India is still struggling to reduce vibration in the four diesel alternators that will power the corvette’s electronics.

Once all this is in place, six huge spaces will have to be cut open in the corvette’s hull, through which giant cranes will lower monster-sized equipment like the 65-tonne engines. Then the hull will be welded shut once again.

For the navy, which has implemented indigenisation as something of a religion — the Naval Headquarters includes a full-fledged Directorate of Indigenisation — the delay in Project 28 is a regrettable, but acceptable, consequence of its twin objectives: building cutting edge warships and, simultaneously, developing an Indian warship building industry.

The Navy Chief, Admiral Sureesh Mehta told Business Standard the navy had carefully laid down stealth standards that were absolutely necessary in war. Admiral Mehta explained, “We cannot compromise operational requirements for suppliers who are having difficulties meeting standards. We cannot come second in war.”

The navy’s top designer, Rear Admiral M K Badhwar, says the navy is determined to nurture an Indian supplier base, to develop increasingly high-tech products for warships. He points out, “Initially, they (the private companies) had real problems in meeting the sophistication levels that we were demanding. But we insisted and now most of them have done so. This is vital for an indigenous shipbuilding industry.”

All this has taken the cost of Project 28 from a sanctioned Rs 2,800 crore (Rs 700 crore per corvette), to an estimated Rs 7,000 crore now. This is approximately in line with cost increases for previous Indian-built warships.

GRSE’s Chairman and Managing Director, Rear Admiral K C Sekhar, explains, “Fortunately, our shipyard will not take a financial hit, since this was a cost-plus contract (in which the actual cost of construction of the first ship will be the basis for paying for the entire project). But we have learned valuable lessons. The complexity of the project was totally underestimated.”

The Project 28 corvettes, when they join the navy’s fleet, will be silent and heavily armed. An Otomelara Super Rapid Gun Mount (SRGM) on the bow can pour 76 millimetre shells onto aerial and surface targets. Flanking it will be two Indigenous Rocket Launchers (IRLs) that can fire at both submarines and ships. Submarines can also be engaged through six torpedo tubes. Two AK 630 Gatling guns, one on either side, can shoot down attacking aircraft. Finally, vertically launched missiles are likely to be mounted for engaging surface targets.

:: Bharat-Rakshak.com - Indian Military News Headlines ::

 

[sancho]

And unlike Rubin's proposed AIP system on the Amur, the Indian Navy is understood to be very keen on the S1000's AIP system, particularly because its based on the Siemens SiNavyCIS BZM-120 PEM hydrogen fuel cell (Figure 3).

Kind of strange that the IN is so keen about the fuel cells now, I thought they worries about the safty and that's why they rejected U214 and went for Scorpene? If we now got for fuel cells it only shows that Scorpene was a political (and imo wrong) decision!

 

[sudhir007]

defence.professionals | defpro.com

14:12 GMT, August 3, 2009 TRIESTE, Italy | Fincantieri has gained new important orders from foreign navies: a corvette for the United Arab Emirates Navy of and a fleet tanker for the Indian Navy. The vessels, worth 250 million Euros, will be built at Fincantieri’s Italian shipyards.

The “Abu Dhabi class” design of the corvette for the U.A.E., due for delivery early 2011, has been developed from the “Cigala Fulgosi”, on the basis of which four “Comandanti” class vessels were built for the Italian Navy.

In addition to an option for a second sister ship, the contract also comprises provision to the U.A.E. Navy of logistical support and training for crew. What makes the order even more important for Italian industry is that the ship’s combat system will be supplied by Selex Sistemi Integrati, a company in the Finmeccanica group.

The Indian Navy, on the other hand, has exercised its option for a second fleet tanker which was included in the contract signed in 2008, with delivery in the last half of 2011, a sister ship to the first fleet tanker currently under construction and due for delivery in 2010.

Fincantieri has been following the Indian market closely. Following delivery in 2007 of the Sagar Nidhi, an oceanographic vessel for the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) of Madras, the company has continued its co-operation – drawing on the strength of its experience building the Cavour, the flagship of the Italian Navy – with the shipyard of Cochin for the design of the engine, technology transfer and the provision of complementary services for the construction of the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) currently under construction. Fincantieri has completed the functional and detailed design of the propulsion system and assistance at the Indian shipyard is soon due to start up.

Commenting on the announcement of the orders, Giuseppe Bono, Chief Executive Officer of Fincantieri said: “We are beginning to reap what we have sown. These important orders constitute for our Group a significant signal of recovery in the naval export market, especially in view of the current crisis. They come on the heels of the recent awarding of the first orders in the Littoral Combat Ship program which involves our shipyards in the USA, and confirm that the company was right to take the strategic decision to be present in all sectors, from civilian to military.”

Since January this year Fincantieri has gained orders in the naval sector for a total value of over 500 million Euros.

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

-- The corvette for the U.A.E. will be 88 metres long, 12m broad and have a displacement at full load of 1,650 tonnes. The ship will be able to reach a speed of 25 knots with an endurance of over 3,000 nautical miles at 14 knots, thanks to 2 diesel engines of 7,000 kW. Accommodation will be available for a crew of approximately 70.

This cutting edge ship will mainly carry out patrolling and surveillance activities and may be employed in anti-submarine, anti-aircraft and surface activities. She will be able to exchange tactical data in real time with other naval vessels, helicopters and bases on shore and will be able to provide support and shelter for helicopters of the Emirate Navy. In addition to highly flexible operational capabilities, the vessel will also feature high standards of safety and living conditions for the comfort for the crew.

-- The Indian fleet tanker on the other hand will be 175 metres long, 25 m broad, for a height of 19 metres and have a displacement at full load of 27,500 tonnes. Powered by two diesel engines of 10,000 kW the ship will be able to reach a maximum speed of 20 knots.

As for the first fleet tanker, the propulsion system will be made up of a shaft with an adjustable pitch propeller and the vessel will have a flight deck for medium-heavy helicopters (up to 10 tons). Thanks to her double hatches, it will be possible to carry out refueling of four ships at the same time. She will be able to accommodate approximately 250 people, including crew and supplementary personnel.

Last but not least she will feature a double hull, which can guarantee greater protection of the fuel tanks against the risk of pollution in case of collision or damage, in accordance with the new Marpol environmental protection regulations of the International Maritime Organization.

 

[sudhir007]

fullstory

New Delhi, Aug 6 (PTI) In a bid to strengthen the Navy's capabilities to detect airborne and surface-based maritime threats, Government has approved the acquisition of five Russian Kamov-31 early warning choppers.

Defence Ministry officials said the Cabinet Committee of Security (CCS) at a meeting on Tuesday gave its approval for procuring these choppers, which can track 30-40 targets on ground and air simultaneously with its airborne electronic warfare radar, mounted on the underbelly of the chopper.

The deal for the five choppers between India and Russia is expected to be signed in the next couple of months, they said.

Navy already has a fleet of nine Ka-31 helicopters, which are deployed on India's only aircraft carrier INS Virat and the Talwar Class Guided Missile frigates of the Navy. They are also operated from Navy's shore based air stations.

 

[pmukherjee]

A few excerpts from Russian news papers. Gorshkov update.
India could agree on extra $1.2 bln for Admiral Gorshkov - paper | Top Russian news and analysis online | 'RIA Novosti' newswire

15:2906/08/2009
MOSCOW, August 6 (RIA Novosti) - Russia is hoping to reach an agreement with India in August on an additional $1.2 billion to finalize the overhaul of the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier for the Indian Navy, a Russian newspaper said on Thursday.

The next round of talks to determine the final funding amount for the carrier's repair and modernization is due to take place in India within the next few days.

According to Nezavisimaya Gazeta newspaper, India has no alternative but to allocate the required $1.2 bln, despite recent objections from the government's accounting office, because the Indian Navy desperately needs to replace its INS Viraat, which, although currently operational, is now 50 years old.

Under the original $1.5 billion 2004 contract between Russia's state-run arms exporter Rosoboronexport and the Indian Navy, which includes delivery of MiG-29K Fulcrum carrier-based fighters, the work on the aircraft carrier was to have been completed in 2008.

However, Russia later claimed it had underestimated the scale and the cost of the modernization, and asked for an additional $1.2 billion, which New Delhi said was "exorbitant."

After long-running delays and disputes, India offered in February 2008 to raise the refit costs for the aircraft carrier, docked at the Sevmash shipyard in northern Russia for the past 12 years, by up to $600 million.

Russia said it was not satisfied with the proposed amount and the issue of the additional funding remains unresolved.

The Times of India newspaper said earlier that the deal had been criticized by India's Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) that called the ship "junk" in a July report.

"It can be seen that the Indian Navy was acquiring a second-hand refitted aircraft carrier that had half the life span of and was 60 percent more expensive that a new one," said the report.

However, Indian defense minister's aide Pallam Raji has recently said the Indian authorities are ready to consider Russia's proposal to raise the price of the deal by $1.2 bln.

Konstantin Makiyenko, deputy director of the Center for Strategic Analysis, a Moscow based think tank, has said that the Indian government will most likely agree on the new deal considering that China has launched an ambitious aircraft carrier construction program.

He reiterated that India's only aircraft carrier - INS Viraat - will be decommissioned in the next few years, while construction of its own aircraft carrier would take much longer than the remaining overhaul of the Russian warship.

"Basically, India does not have an alternative but to agree [on the deal]," he said.

Russia has pledged to finish the Admiral Gorshkov's overhaul as soon as possible and deliver it to India in 2012 if the additional $1.2 bln funding is provided by New Delhi.

After modernization, the carrier will join the Indian Navy as INS Vikramaditya, and is expected to be seaworthy for 30 years.

Admiral Gorshkov is a modified Kiev class aircraft carrier, originally named Baku.

The ship was laid down in 1978 at the Nikolayev South shipyard in Ukraine, launched in 1982, and commissioned with the Soviet Navy in 1987.

It was renamed after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

In 1994, following a boiler room explosion, the Admiral Gorshkov sat in dock for a year for repairs. After a brief return to service in 1995, she was finally withdrawn from service in 1996 and put up for sale.

The ship's displacement is 45,000 tons. It has maximum speed of 32 knots and an endurance of 13,500 nautical miles (25,000 km) at a cruising speed of 18 knots.

 

[pmukherjee]

Krivak Frigates update.


18:4905/08/2009
KALININGRAD, August 5 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Yantar shipyard is negotiating a $60 million loan to enable it to complete the construction of three frigates for the Indian Navy, the company director said on Wednesday.

Russia is building three Project 11356 Krivak IV class guided missile frigates for the Indian Navy under a $1.6 billion contract signed in July, 2006.

Igor Orlov said the shipyard had previously taken out a $110 million loan from Russian national development bank Vnesheconombank (VEB) but was now forced to seek an additional $60 million loan due to "financial constraints."

He added that the problems had been caused by fluctuations in the ruble-to-dollar exchange rate.

"When the contract was signed, the rate was 28.2 rubles per $1, but then it fell to 23.5 rubles," he said, adding that the shipyard had lost about 500 million rubles as a result.

However, the current exchange rate is 31 rubles per $1.

Russia said in late June it would meet its obligations to deliver the frigates to India by 2012.

An industry official said the first ship would be floated out this year, the second, in spring 2010, and the third a bit later, adding that the Indian government had provided sufficient and timely project financing.

A delegation of Indian military officials, led by India's deputy chief of the naval staff, Vice Adm. Raman P Suthan, visited the Yantar shipyard last October and said they were satisfied with the pace and the construction quality.

Russia previously built in 2004 three Krivak class frigates - INS Talwar, INS Trishul and INS Tabar - for India, but they all were delivered late.

All of the new frigates will be armed with eight BrahMos supersonic anti-ship cruise missile systems and not the Club-N/3M54TE missile system, which was installed on previous frigates.

The Krivak class frigate has deadweight of 4,000 metric tons and a speed of 30 knots, and is capable of accomplishing a wide range of maritime missions, primarily hunting down and destroying large surface ships and submarines.

 

[sudhir007]

Don’t have capability or intention to match China force for force: Navy chief

Pointing out that India’s expenditure on Defence has been hovering around a low two percent of GDP in recent years, Mehta said that the strategy to deal with China on the military front would be to introduce modern technology and create a “reliable stand-off deterrent.”
“On the military front, our strategy to deal with China must include reducing the military gap and countering the growing Chinese footprint in the Indian Ocean Region,” the officer said.
However, he warned that unless spending on defence is increased substantially, the military gap could even widen further. “Let alone bridging the gap between us and our potential adversaries, without a substantial increase, the gap may widen further and dilute our operational edge,” Mehta said.
Making it clear that India needs to grow out of its Pakistan-centric approach when it comes to strategic planning, Mehta said that China’s growing power should be a major consideration in future national planning.

 

[ironman]

Hindustan shipyard to be transferred to MoD​

Posted: Wednesday, Aug 12, 2009 at 0445 hrs
New Delhi:

After the launch of Arihant, the country’s first nuclear submarine last month, decks have been cleared for the transfer of a crucial shipyard — off Visakhapatnam — from the Shipping Ministry to the Ministry of Defence towards creating an indigenous capability to manufacture nuclear submarines.

Hindustan Shipyard, close to the Ship Building Centre where Arihant was manufactured, is set to be transferred to the MoD and will be critical to the Navy’s plan to induct a fleet of nuclear submarines in the coming years.

The transfer comes after protracted negotiations between the two Ministries. The move was stalled during the last UPA after former Shipping Minister T R Baalu stubbornly refused to let go of the shipyard citing that their shipbuilding capacity would be hit considerably.

An empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM), headed by Pranab Mukherjee, was finally formed last year to sort out the issue which involved transfer of some strategic land owned by the Port Trust of India to the MoD. The negotiations saw heavy resistance from Baalu’s Shipping Ministry with tempers running high at several such meetings.

 

[ironman]

“I hope she’ll last 30 years and more” ​

S. Anandan

A transformational wave buoyed by blue-water capability and cutting-edge technology is sweeping the Indian Navy. The force has embarked on a plan for all-round asset-building and indigenisation. Admiral Sureesh Mehta, the Chief of the Naval Staff, in a conversation with The Hindu in Kochi on August 3, puts in perspective the tasks ahead. Excerpts:

With you at the helm, the Navy has attained many milestones: leading the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), dedicating the Naval Academy in Ezhimala to the nation, laying the keel of the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier, launching India’s first nuclear submarine…

True, but individuals are transient themselves. The goal has already been set for the long-drawn process of transformation. The ball has started rolling and will continue in the next watch, as we call it. We’ve been carrying it forward because there is just so much that is going to happen in the armed forces and, therefore, we need to change the way in which we work. There is a need to adapt ourselves to different practices which will allow us to ride this wave. That was the roadmap we had set for ourselves.

Foreign collaboration has been a tremendous success story. A few months after taking over as the Navy chief, it struck me that we could do something novel to bring all our neighbours closer to one another, and we floated the IONS. It didn’t take long to stabilise. So in its first conclave in Delhi, of the 32 littoral countries in the Indian Ocean, 28 were represented — 23 by their Navy chiefs and five by the deputies. There was demand from other Navies that we continue to organise it. But as per its constitution, the chairmanship rotates every two years. The UAE has volunteered to host the next IONS.

Indigenisation is the Navy’s mantra and it’s in this context that we’re building the IAC. The project was conceived many years ago, but in the mid-1990s a new concept, that of the air defence ship (ADS), came about as an alternative proposition to massive, expensive carriers. Thus, the carrier we had already designed was put on the chopping block with the cost factor in mind.

However, as soon as we realised that it wouldn’t suffice, we reverted to the actual plan to have huge carriers — 40,000 tonne and above — with adequate capabilities. The keel-laying of the IAC was a significant step. We’ve been reviewing the project continuously. We’ve a good, competent partner in Cochin Shipyard, which has been doing the refits of our carriers.

The acquisition of Admiral Gorshkov, rechristened INS Vikramaditya, from Russia has been mired in controversy thanks to the time lag, scepticism over the quality of refurbishment, cost escalation and so on. What is the status?

We’re quite happy with the quality and pace of work on the Vikramaditya. We’ve changed tonnes of steel in the ship. A large amount of work that was not foreseen earlier has been done. Hence the issue of whether or not this should be paid for by us. I have conveyed to Russia our view [when it demanded an addition $1.2 billion for the refit]. A contract is a contract. You win some, you lose some. “We have been your major defence partner for some time now and so we can’t have this kind of ad hoc increase in price put into effect,” I said.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defence realised that so much work has been done on the ship and maybe there’s a case to give some more money. The engines have been changed. Right now we’re at the stage where a very large amount of cabling, about 3,000 km, has to be redone. Initially the plan was to re-cable wherever it was necessary. Then they thought it would be best to change it entirely. So what we’re going to get at the end of it, as far as I’m concerned, is a nice, brand-new ship which will doubtless remain operational for 25 to 30 years. That’s the stipulated period, but I hope she’ll last 30 years and more. The Vikramaditya will have some wonderful capabilities and with a versatile aircraft [the MiG 29K], which is integral to its fleet, it would be an ideal platform for us to cover all of the Indian Ocean.

We’ve done an in-depth study to ascertain the genuineness of the price issue. Both countries will now sit across and renegotiate the price. There could be some give and take, but what we’ll arrive at would be a justifiable price.

The current refit of INS Viraat is expected to extend its operational life for a few more years, by which time hopefully the IAC and the Vikramaditya would be inducted. Do we have a carrier-building programme to cater for long-term requirements?

We’ll be paying out the Viraat in eight to 10 years’ time, and by when we’ll have two carriers [the IAC and the Vikramaditya]. We are already working on the design of a second indigenous carrier, slightly bigger maybe, to cater for the aircraft we will have in future.

That calls for a question on the progress of the LCA (Navy) project. Isn’t it a tad behind schedule?

We’re very hopeful that if not at the beginning of the IAC, it should come through a couple of years later. Obviously, it’ll not be ready at the start of the IAC, which we hope will embark the MiG-29 K. In fact, we’ve planned a mix of both the aircraft for the IAC as each has a definitive role to play. As for the LCA programme, the Navy has thrown its weight behind it from the beginning. I was personally responsible for the programme not being dumped midway. I had stated on file that the Navy would like to have this kind of an aircraft. What had initially begun as a naval project turned out to be an Air Force affair along the course.

The naval variant would be quite different from the land variant, with a strong undercarriage, more thrust, an arrester hook, and the like. There would be a droop in the cockpit for enhanced visibility during landing on carrier deck. The Air Force trainer version [two-seater] will take off from the naval version, as both will have lots in common.

The sole carrier-borne fighter aircraft, the Sea Harrier, has recently undergone a limited upgrade. How long will it last now?

Well, we expect them to be in service for 10 years. Its add-on capabilities such as [Derby] Beyond Visual Range Air to Air Missile have been enhanced. The LUSH [Limited Upgrade Sea Harrier] programme is an absolute success on that count, and we’ve got a brand new aircraft electronically within the same airframe. The new radar and new missile will bring about a complete change in the aircraft’s performance.

INS Arihant marked a watershed, with India accomplishing a crucial second-strike capability. What are the other dividends?

It was a necessity that had to be brought about. Every country works for a nuclear triad and it is imperative that we have the capability of underwater launch of nuclear weapons. In fact, most countries have given up the land and air variants, and just stuck to the underwater platform because of its major advantage in terms of stealth and endurance. An indigenous project, Arihant has given as a submarine of sorts, which will have this capability. Hopefully, we’ll have more of these [Arihant-class submarines] in due course which will give us the full-fledged capability to carry out the tasks we are expected to do.

 

[sancho]

The current refit of INS Viraat is expected to extend its operational life for a few more years, by which time hopefully the IAC and the Vikramaditya would be inducted. Do we have a carrier-building programme to cater for long-term requirements?

We’ll be paying out the Viraat in eight to 10 years’ time, and by when we’ll have two carriers [the IAC and the Vikramaditya]. We are already working on the design of a second indigenous carrier, slightly bigger maybe, to cater for the aircraft we will have in future.

That calls for a question on the progress of the LCA (Navy) project. Isn’t it a tad behind schedule?

We’re very hopeful that if not at the beginning of the IAC, it should come through a couple of years later. Obviously, it’ll not be ready at the start of the IAC, which we hope will embark the MiG-29 K. In fact, we’ve planned a mix of both the aircraft for the IAC as each has a definitive role to play. As for the LCA programme, the Navy has thrown its weight behind it from the beginning. I was personally responsible for the programme not being dumped midway. I had stated on file that the Navy would like to have this kind of an aircraft. What had initially begun as a naval project turned out to be an Air Force affair along the course.

Very interesting infos!
It confirms only one Vikrant class IAC, but wasn't it expected in 2015? Eight to ten years would mean means 2017 - 19! Also it seems that IN wants only a mix of Indian and Russian fighters for their carriers and no Rafale, F18SH, or even F35B although they are better.