INS Vikrant (IAC1) & INS Vikramaditya - News & Discussions

[randomradio]

I thought the construction started in 2014. My bad..

Give it some time, you will see the Chinese dropping carriers into the ocean in less than half the time you've assumed.

The Americans have planned 1 every 4 years. The Chinese will likely manage 1 every 2 years. We will be lucky to get our third one in 20 years.

 

[Ashwin]

I thought the construction started in 2014. My bad..

When thinking about shipbuilding timeline ask yourself if the respective country has a civil shipbuilding industry. Which makes all the difference, not technology.

China, Japan, and Korea dominate the civilian shipbuilding industry. Thus they have the scale and efficiency. They can utilize the workforce and tooling in a dynamic manner between civil and defence projects.

Even in India, technology is no longer holding us back but the scale is. Most European shipyards are just like us. They survive only on naval orders thus it has to make economical sense. We cant speed up for the sake of it. The only advantage Europeans have over us is export orders.

US is an exception, they have an unusually big navy and these shipyards can solely depend on those orders. Even then, the Pentagon and USN produce long-term forecasts for the next decade so that there is predictability.

 

[SammyBoi]

Give it some time, you will see the Chinese dropping carriers into the ocean in less than half the time you've assumed.

The Americans have planned 1 every 4 years. The Chinese will likely manage 1 every 2 years. We will be lucky to get our third one in 20 years.

How many carriers are they eventually aiming for?
Because a few years ago, during the induction of the Shandong, some reports said, they aimed for 6 carriers, atleast 2 of which being nuclear-powered.
But now, I'm hearing they are going for 10 carriers, 6 of them being 'super carriers'...

Still, even if they do reach that figure, they're gonna find their O&M costs ballooning through the roof (carrier + escorts + air-wing + sailors). Also, the Americans will still have 11 supercarriers, since that's the US Navy's statutory requirement...

Anyway, talking about the Indian situation.... first of all, we need a comprehensive defense white paper, which should answer a very important question:
What should the Indian Navy's role be?
-A long-range expeditionary force, like the USN? Nah, we'll need nuclear-powered fleets for that, and it's too bloody expensive.... Maybe 10-15 years down the line, we'll think about it.
-A small, effective littoral force, limited to protecting Indian trade and shipping lines and somehow, containing China in the IOR? Nah again, bcoz even for protecting our trade routes, we need CVBGs to effectively secure the water all the way from the Gulf of Aden + Gulf of Oman in the West (against the Pakistanis, considering if they even have any blockade capability) to the southern parts of the South China Sea (SCS) (against the Chinese) in the East.

So the way I see it, assuming the Chinese manage to put 8 carriers into the water by 2040, the Indian Navy should (realistically) operate atleast 4 CVBGs.
1) Vikramaditya CBG (Carrier Strike Fleet 01)
2) Vikrant CBG (Carrier Strike Fleet 02)
3) Vishal CBG (TBA) (Carrier Strike Fleet 03)
4) IAC-3 CBG (TBA) (Carrier Strike Fleet 04)

Now let's go over all these CSFs, their composition, projection strength, endurance, future role, etc...
NOTE - All these are based on current patterns, deployments + planned future acquisitions + wartime assumptions(all 4 carriers pressed into active duty) + a little educated imagination)

1) CSF 01 - INS Vikramaditya:
Composition:
- (C) INS Vikramaditya [45,400T, Max 40 aircraft, 1700+ sailors, Range: 25000+ Km]
- (D) INS Delhi
- (D) INS Mysore
- (D) INS Kolkata
- (F) INS Shivalik
- (F) INS Talwar
- (F) INS Tarkash
- (S,C) INS Kalvari
- (S,C) INS Khanderi/ (S,N) ISSN - 1
- (R) INS Jyoti

Projection Strength
- Total 10 ships, 4,200+ sailors, ~60 aircraft, support from shore-based P-8Is, MQ-9Bs, + helos + medium range strike missiles, Special Forces deployment capability, Gulf blockade capability (VBSS, etc...)

Role(s):
- Patrolling the Arabian Sea
- Protecting Indian civil trade ships in the two Gulfs
- Form the spearhead of offensive ops against Pakistan
- Can be switched over to secure the Greater IOR

Endurance:
- 50 days (extendable to 90 days)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2) CSF 02 - INS Vikrant:
Composition:
- (C) INS Vikrant [45,000T, Max 40 aircraft, 1600+ sailors, Range: 16000+ Km]
- (D) INS Visakhapatanam
- (D) INS Kochi
- (D) INS Chennai
- (F) INS Sahyadri
- (F) INS Nilgiri
- (F) INS Himgiri
- (S,C) INS Karanj
- (S,N) INS Chakra III
- (R) INS Deepak

Projection Strength:
- Total 10 ships, ~4000 sailors, ~60 aircraft, support from shore-based P-8Is, MQ-9Bs, + helos + medium range strike missiles, Special Forces deployment capability, true CEC capability (MF-STAR + Barak 8), Strait blockade capability...

Role(s):
- Patrolling the Bay of Bengal + waters south of Sri Lanka
- Can switch with or for CSF 01
- Ensure trouble-free shipping till SCS
- Form spearhead of offensive ops against the Chinese (CBGs)
- Effectively blockade China's trade ships in the Strait of Malacca, Lombok Strait, Sunda Strait, and elsewhere...

Endurance:
- 50 -70 days
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here comes the end of current fleet capabilities. In the next post , we'll take a look at the Navy's near-future capabilities....
LEGEND:
C - Carrier
D - Destroyer
F - Frigate
R - Replenishment Ship
S,C - Submarine, Conventional
S,N - Submarine, Nuclear
IAC - Indigenous Aircraft Carrier
ISSN - Indigenous Nuclear-powered Attack Submarine

@randomradio, @Gautam, @Parthu, @anonymous, @Ashwin, @GuardianRED, @vstol Jockey

 

[SammyBoi]

.....(continued from post #323)

3) CSF 03 - INS Vishal:
Composition:
- (C) INS Vishal [68,000T, Max 55 aircraft, 2000+ sailors, Range: 25,000+ Km]
- (D) INS Mormugao
- (D) INS Imphal
- (D) INS Porbandar
- (D) P18 NGD-1
- (F) INS Mahendragiri
- (F) INS Dunagiri
- (F) INS Teg
- (F) INS Satpura
- (S,N) ISSN-2
- (S,N) ISSN-3/ INS Vela
- (R) INS Shakti
- (R) INS Aditya
- (M) NGM-1
- (M) NGM-2

Power Projection Strength:
- Total 15 ships, 5000+ sailors, ~80 aircraft, Long Range Strike Missiles, Spec Ops deployment capability,True Blue-water, power projection capability, CEC capability, UCAVs + DEWs deployment capabilities, Anti-swarm capabilities, Large-Scale, long range strategic Deterrence...

Role(s):
- Forward Deployment in SCS
- Sailing in sync with USN Ford class CBGs, to protect shared interests, trail Chinese CBGs (incl. those leaving for IOR), collect high-end intel, work with other SE Asian navies to maintain Status Quo against Chinese belligerence
- Reinforcing either of CSF 01, or CSF 02 in either Maritime Theatre of War

Endurance:
- 90 - 120 days (can be extended to 180 days, with regional support)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4) CSF 04 - IAC - 3:
Composition:
-(C, N) IAC-3 [75,000+T, Max 75 aircraft, 2600+ sailors, Range: Unlimited]
-(D) P18 NGD-2
-(D) P18 NGD-3
-(D) P18 NGD-4
-(D) P18 NGD-5
-(F) INS Taragiri
-(F) INS Udyagiri
-(F) NGF-1
-(F) NGF-2
-(S,N) ISSN-4
-(S,N) ISSN-5
-(R) NGR-1
-(R) NGR-2
-(M) NGM-3
-(M) NGM-4

Power Projection Strength:
- Total 15 ships, 5000+ sailors, 110+ aircraft, Global Power Projection capability, Heavy AEW&C + Unmanned Strike Aircraft deployment capability, Anti-ASAT, BMD capabilities, Quantum Control + Intel Collection capabilities....

Role(S):
- Reinforcing CSF 03 in the SCS
- Protecting Indian assets in Antarctica
- Dynamic protection of Indian space assets (pretty theoretical, in all probability, non-practical)

Endurance:
-Unlimited, except for rations
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LEGEND:
C - Carrier
D - Destroyer
F - Frigate
R - Replenishment Ship
M - Minesweeper
NGD - Next-Gen Destroyer
NGF - Next-Gen Frigate
NGR - Next-Gen Refueller
NGM - Next-Gen Minesweeper
S,C - Submarine, Conventional
S,N - Submarine, Nuclear
IAC - Indigenous Aircraft Carrier
ISSN - Indigenous Nuclear-powered Attack Submarine

@randomradio, @Gautam, @Parthu, @_Anonymous_, @Ashwin, @GuardianRED, @vstol Jockey
Your thoughts, opinions, corrections, improvements, additions, suggestions?

 

[Gautam]

Your thoughts, opinions, corrections, improvements, additions, suggestions?

I though IAC-1 has greater range than Vicky courtesy of better engines.

 

[SammyBoi]

I though IAC-1 has greater range than Vicky courtesy of better engines.

Even I thought so.... but Wiki, the only available source on this type of info, states otherwise...
But yes, Vikrant does have better, more efficient engines than Vicky, but strangely, they produce almost the same power ~135,000kW

 

[Lolwa]

How many carriers are they eventually aiming for?
Because a few years ago, during the induction of the Shandong, some reports said, they aimed for 6 carriers, atleast 2 of which being nuclear-powered.
But now, I'm hearing they are going for 10 carriers, 6 of them being 'super carriers'...

Still, even if they do reach that figure, they're gonna find their O&M costs ballooning through the roof (carrier + escorts + air-wing + sailors). Also, the Americans will still have 11 supercarriers, since that's the US Navy's statutory requirement...

Anyway, talking about the Indian situation.... first of all, we need a comprehensive defense white paper, which should answer a very important question:
What should the Indian Navy's role be?
-A long-range expeditionary force, like the USN? Nah, we'll need nuclear-powered fleets for that, and it's too bloody expensive.... Maybe 10-15 years down the line, we'll think about it.
-A small, effective littoral force, limited to protecting Indian trade and shipping lines and somehow, containing China in the IOR? Nah again, bcoz even for protecting our trade routes, we need CVBGs to effectively secure the water all the way from the Gulf of Aden + Gulf of Oman in the West (against the Pakistanis, considering if they even have any blockade capability) to the southern parts of the South China Sea (SCS) (against the Chinese) in the East.

So the way I see it, assuming the Chinese manage to put 8 carriers into the water by 2040, the Indian Navy should (realistically) operate atleast 4 CVBGs.
1) Vikramaditya CBG (Carrier Strike Fleet 01)
2) Vikrant CBG (Carrier Strike Fleet 02)
3) Vishal CBG (TBA) (Carrier Strike Fleet 03)
4) IAC-3 CBG (TBA) (Carrier Strike Fleet 04)

Now let's go over all these CSFs, their composition, projection strength, endurance, future role, etc...
NOTE - All these are based on current patterns, deployments + planned future acquisitions + wartime assumptions(all 4 carriers pressed into active duty) + a little educated imagination)

1) CSF 01 - INS Vikramaditya:
Composition:
- (C) INS Vikramaditya [45,400T, Max 40 aircraft, 1700+ sailors, Range: 25000+ Km]
- (D) INS Delhi
- (D) INS Mysore
- (D) INS Kolkata
- (F) INS Shivalik
- (F) INS Talwar
- (F) INS Tarkash
- (S,C) INS Kalvari
- (S,C) INS Khanderi/ (S,N) ISSN - 1
- (R) INS Jyoti

Projection Strength
- Total 10 ships, 4,200+ sailors, ~60 aircraft, support from shore-based P-8Is, MQ-9Bs, + helos + medium range strike missiles, Special Forces deployment capability, Gulf blockade capability (VBSS, etc...)

Role(s):
- Patrolling the Arabian Sea
- Protecting Indian civil trade ships in the two Gulfs
- Form the spearhead of offensive ops against Pakistan
- Can be switched over to secure the Greater IOR

Endurance:
- 50 days (extendable to 90 days)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2) CSF 02 - INS Vikrant:
Composition:
- (C) INS Vikrant [45,000T, Max 40 aircraft, 1600+ sailors, Range: 16000+ Km]
- (D) INS Visakhapatanam
- (D) INS Kochi
- (D) INS Chennai
- (F) INS Sahyadri
- (F) INS Nilgiri
- (F) INS Himgiri
- (S,C) INS Karanj
- (S,N) INS Chakra III
- (R) INS Deepak

Projection Strength:
- Total 10 ships, ~4000 sailors, ~60 aircraft, support from shore-based P-8Is, MQ-9Bs, + helos + medium range strike missiles, Special Forces deployment capability, true CEC capability (MF-STAR + Barak 8), Strait blockade capability...

Role(s):
- Patrolling the Bay of Bengal + waters south of Sri Lanka
- Can switch with or for CSF 01
- Ensure trouble-free shipping till SCS
- Form spearhead of offensive ops against the Chinese (CBGs)
- Effectively blockade China's trade ships in the Strait of Malacca, Lombok Strait, Sunda Strait, and elsewhere...

Endurance:
- 50 -70 days
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here comes the end of current fleet capabilities. In the next post , we'll take a look at the Navy's near-future capabilities....
LEGEND:
C - Carrier
D - Destroyer
F - Frigate
R - Replenishment Ship
S,C - Submarine, Conventional
S,N - Submarine, Nuclear
IAC - Indigenous Aircraft Carrier
ISSN - Indigenous Nuclear-powered Attack Submarine

@randomradio, @Gautam, @Parthu, @anonymous, @Ashwin, @GuardianRED, @vstol Jockey

I think we won't be going beyond three carriers in the near future. So it would be better to expanding our submarine force. The Chinese will come to dominate the IOR sooner or later and it's better to have sea denial considering we won't be really able to match the Chinese when it comes to sea control in the coming years.
Expansion of the P75 and P75 I program from the targeted 12 to 24 submarines. These are faster to produce and we can see how the kalvari class got commissioned much faster in comparison to our surface fleet ships. Apart from that the arihant class needs to be converted into SSGN's once the S5 class submarines come.So 8 arihant class with the capability to fire shaurya,Nirbhay,kalibr and Brahmos. In comparison even the arihant class got built faster than our AC's. The arighat is already in trials and may have done some missions too. So in that sense our submarine construction seems to be faster to my amateur eyes. Followed by the P75A SSN's. Atleast 12 built for this role. We really don't need SSBN's since they are pretty much useless for sea denial and the S5 class is being worked on and is part of the SFC.
But a force of Arihant as SSGN will be really a game changer along with a fleet of Kalvari class SSK's and P-75A SSN's.
PLAN's ASW capabilities are mediocre. Otoh there Ashm options and surface denial capabilities are huge. Expanding our submarine force should be a priority. Personally apart from Vishal there is no real point for more Aircraft carriers.
We need to keep in mind that we are in the position of Soviet Union and the Chinese are in the position of the U.S with the bigger economy. So we won't be able to make a huge navy to counter the Chinese in any way in the future and the Chinese don't want us to build up our Navy going by how they wanted to poke us in Galwan.
A submarine force will raise a lot less attention at an international level and will be more bang for the buck.

 

[randomradio]

How many carriers are they eventually aiming for?
Because a few years ago, during the induction of the Shandong, some reports said, they aimed for 6 carriers, atleast 2 of which being nuclear-powered.
But now, I'm hearing they are going for 10 carriers, 6 of them being 'super carriers'...

The Chinese have 3 fleets. In order for each fleet to operate a carrier 24/7 requires 3 carriers per fleet. This allows 1 at sea, 1 at port and 1 in refits. So, during emergencies, 6 carriers will become available at almost anytime. Even 8 are enough to always have 3 carriers in the water.

My guess is they will match the USN in the Pacific by 2035. 2 carriers every 2 years from 2023 onwards will give them 7 supercarriers, apart from the two smaller ones they are already operating. Currently, the USN is also capable of operating 7 carriers in the Pacific. Then they should be able to add 10 more by 2050. Basically outnumbering the USN's overall strength will be their goal.

The Chinese economy is expected to be more than twice the size of America's by 2050, so they will be able to easily match USN's strength with minimal defence expenditure. Furthermore, the USN does not only have to contend with the Chinese, but Russia is also planning for 2 supercarriers for the Pacific, so they can't deal with these two threats alone.

Since India has two fleets, we will need 5-6 carriers. But all of them will have to be large or supercarriers. The two small ones we operate are not enough. Of course, different story that by the time the Chinese have 10 supercarriers, effectively allowing them to have a 24/7 presence in the IOR, we will have zero. I'm actually hoping the first Chinese flattop comes into the Bay of Bengal in its first or second voyage, it will wake our politicians up to the threat. We definitely need a minimum of 3.

 

[Aditya b7777]

Failure to Launch | StratPost - Part 5

Angad Singh explains why the Indian Navy faces difficulties as it begins its search for new carrier fighters.Read more - Part 5

stratpost.com

According to this article by Angad Singh, the dimensions of the lifts of IAC-1 are 10x14m.
@randomradio you were right if this is true

 

[jetray]

Since India has two fleets, we will need 5-6 carriers. But all of them will have to be large or supercarriers. The two small ones we operate are not enough. Of course, different story that by the time the Chinese have 10 supercarriers, effectively allowing them to have a 24/7 presence in the IOR, we will have zero. I'm actually hoping the first Chinese flattop comes into the Bay of Bengal in its first or second voyage, it will wake our politicians up to the threat. We definitely need a minimum of 3.

5-6 carriers .. super carriers ..? seriously what is your idea , to go bankrupt even before war is declared? Most of the time India has been caught by surprise of enemy activity than any thing else, its better off improving our recon & monitoring capability than to invest in world war 2 relics that will never see action against strong enemy.

These carriers are good for threatening small countries having primitive missile capability but any thing more than that they are sitting ducks even with all the support ships. A missile barrage will put them on defensive and they also need to maintain the supply lines which would be difficult in hostile territory. In fact why go after carrier , instead go after the support ships and harass them either the carrier chases or stays put.

 

[randomradio]

5-6 carriers .. super carriers ..? seriously what is your idea , to go bankrupt even before war is declared? Most of the time India has been caught by surprise of enemy activity than any thing else, its better off improving our recon & monitoring capability than to invest in world war 2 relics that will never see action against strong enemy.

These carriers are good for threatening small countries having primitive missile capability but any thing more than that they are sitting ducks even with all the support ships. A missile barrage will put them on defensive and they also need to maintain the supply lines which would be difficult in hostile territory. In fact why go after carrier , instead go after the support ships and harass them either the carrier chases or stays put.

Those 5-6 supercarriers will only come in after India's economy matches the need for it. So that's 2040-60.

Also you have no clue about carriers.

 

[_Anonymous_]

A Tale of 2 Navies: Reviewing India and China’s Aircraft Carrier Procurement

The 21st century carrier programs in India and China are fascinating for their similarities – and for their differences.

thediplomat.com

 

[jetray]

Also you have no clue about carriers.

so much conviction that comes from having 4 of them parked in front of your house by the storm drain, another one undergoing repairs in a nearby cycle shop, fifth one you lent to your friend who doesnt know how to balance a cycle. You are surely spoilt for choices. Forgive me master certainly not in your league.

So that's 2040-60.

 

[randomradio]

so much conviction that comes from having 4 of them parked in front of your house by the storm drain, another one undergoing repairs in a nearby cycle shop, fifth one you lent to your friend who doesnt know how to balance a cycle. You are surely spoilt for choices. Forgive me master certainly not in your league.

Yep, so much conviction that I don't go around saying, "These carriers are good for threatening small countries having primitive missile capability but any thing more than that they are sitting ducks even with all the support ships".

So much conviction.

 

[SammyBoi]

Upgrading India's Carrier Battle Groups (CBGs)/ Carrier Strike Fleets (CSFs):

Here, I discuss some improvements, modifications and additions to the Indian Navy CBGs in the recent past, present and near-future (2-3 yrs), that have been incorporated in the carrier + escort ships, that have increased combat capabilities, effectiveness, efficiency and power projection capabilities:-

- (C) Addition of Barak-1 point defense SAM (ex-INS Godavari), later partially/fully replaced by Barak-8.
- (C) Addition of SATCOM radomes, to ensure secure comms b/w Indian satellites (NaviC), the carrier and escorts.
- (C) Addition of 2 x EO equipped AK-630s to the stern.
- (C) Roughened up Mig 29Ks, with serviceability rates touching 70%+ in 2019.
- (E) Addition of ATLAS Electronik ACTAS (Active Towed Array Sonars), massively enhancing ASW capabilities.
- (C, E) Addition of MH-60Rs for enhancing ASW, utility, transport, SAR, etc...
- (C, E) Addition of some navalized version of DRDO's Anti Drone System.(which scored its first realtime combat kill yesterday).
- (C, E) Addition of Mareech anti-torpedo soft-kill system.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All that I could think of, as of now!
@randomradio, @Gautam, @Parthu, @_Anonymous_, @Ashwin, @GuardianRED, @vstol Jockey
Your thoughts, opinions, corrections, improvements, additions, suggestions?

Legend:
C - Carrier
E - Escorts

 

[SammyBoi]

I understand that many of my countrymen do not approve of the Vicky deal, citing the cost overruns, delays, effectiveness questions, etc.... I agree to some extent, that the Russians did fleece us on that. But still, I do believe that having Vicky has been good for us. During the past 8 years, we have worked her up pretty damn hard, much like any Western carrier, which is plainly visible by the wear-and-tear on the ship. We have modified her to suit our needs, improved her efficiency (engines, boilers) added several Western, Israeli and Indian weapons + radars + sensors + (sub)systems, and have helped her evolve as a top-class combat platform, not just a white elephant, not just a showpiece. Unlike her Chinese counterpart, Liaoning, which is just a training carrier and always operates close to Chinese littorals, INS Vikramaditya is a war-capable asset, used to operate on long-range deployments ,ever-ready, and highly sophisticated, and alongwith her escorts, can give nightmares to any adversarial force in the IOR, and beyond as well. She has become a fearsome warrior, the current lone-wolf of the Indo-Pacific, soon to be joined by her sister, Vikrant. Very much true to her namesake, Emperor Chandragupta Vikramaditya!

What do you guys think?
@randomradio, @Gautam, @Parthu, @_Anonymous_, @Ashwin, @GuardianRED, @vstol Jockey

 

[_Anonymous_]

Upgrading India's Carrier Battle Groups (CBGs)/ Carrier Strike Fleets (CSFs):

Here, I discuss some improvements, modifications and additions to the Indian Navy CBGs in the recent past, present and near-future (2-3 yrs), that have been incorporated in the carrier + escort ships, that have increased combat capabilities, effectiveness, efficiency and power projection capabilities:-

- (C) Addition of Barak-1 point defense SAM (ex-INS Godavari), later partially/fully replaced by Barak-8.
- (C) Addition of SATCOM radomes, to ensure secure comms b/w Indian satellites (NaviC), the carrier and escorts.
- (C) Addition of 2 x EO equipped AK-630s to the stern.
- (C) Roughened up Mig 29Ks, with serviceability rates touching 70%+ in 2019.
- (E) Addition of ATLAS Electronik ACTAS (Active Towed Array Sonars), massively enhancing ASW capabilities.
- (C, E) Addition of MH-60Rs for enhancing ASW, utility, transport, SAR, etc...
- (C, E) Addition of some navalized version of DRDO's Anti Drone System.(which scored its first realtime combat kill yesterday).
- (C, E) Addition of Mareech anti-torpedo soft-kill system.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All that I could think of, as of now!
@randomradio, @Gautam, @Parthu, @_Anonymous_, @Ashwin, @GuardianRED, @vstol Jockey
Your thoughts, opinions, corrections, improvements, additions, suggestions?

Legend:
C - Carrier
E - Escorts

Your write up is invisible.

 

[SammyBoi]

Your write up is invisible.

Eh? I'm not sure I understand..... Is the text not visible? Some technical problems?

 

[_Anonymous_]

Eh? I'm not sure I understand..... Is the text not visible? Some technical problems?

It's not visible - #335 .

 

[Hydra]

I understand that many of my countrymen do not approve of the Vicky deal, citing the cost overruns, delays, effectiveness questions, etc.... I agree to some extent, that the Russians did fleece us on that. But still, I do believe that having Vicky has been good for us. During the past 8 years, we have worked her up pretty damn hard, much like any Western carrier, which is plainly visible by the wear-and-tear on the ship. We have modified her to suit our needs, improved her efficiency (engines, boilers) added several Western, Israeli and Indian weapons + radars + sensors + (sub)systems, and have helped her evolve as a top-class combat platform, not just a white elephant, not just a showpiece. Unlike her Chinese counterpart, Liaoning, which is just a training carrier and always operates close to Chinese littorals, INS Vikramaditya is a war-capable asset, used to operate on long-range deployments ,ever-ready, and highly sophisticated, and alongwith her escorts, can give nightmares to any adversarial force in the IOR, and beyond as well. She has become a fearsome warrior, the current lone-wolf of the Indo-Pacific, soon to be joined by her sister, Vikrant. Very much true to her namesake, Emperor Chandragupta Vikramaditya!
View attachment 20295
View attachment 20296
What do you guys think?
@randomradio, @Gautam, @Parthu, @_Anonymous_, @Ashwin, @GuardianRED, @vstol Jockey

The only downside we facing now is its hanger lift limitations, in all other things as carrier it meets our expectation i guess. Cheap but reasonably capable, regarding cost overruns, who will give you a brand new AC ( its literally brand new after refurbishment ) at 1-2billion dollars? Naturally Russians are forced to increase the price from 1-2 billion Price tag.

You buy a single screw driver from outside, some people in india goes crazy, such things happened in Gorshkov deal also.