INS Vikramaditya: News and Discussion

Hitesh · Post by **Hitesh** » 18 Nov 2013 22:07

Pranay,

That is Russia. Any other country, yes. Remember the Libyan incident in the early 80s. They shot down a couple Libyan MiGs for getting too close to the carriers.

Pranay · Post by **Pranay** » 18 Nov 2013 22:15

Hitesh wrote:Pranay,

That is Russia. Any other country, yes. Remember the Libyan incident in the early 80s. They shot down a couple Libyan MiGs for getting too close to the carriers.

Remember?? I was there!! The Russians followed us all the way in to the Gulf of Sidra - close in (surface and air) - till the time we attacked Libya. Not just the Libyan AF planes - but a Libyan missile boat was also destroyed.

Moral of the Story - every country's navy snoops on everyone else in peace time in Internationall waters.

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 18 Nov 2013 22:30

but there was already some tension ahead of that incident, it wasnt entirely out of the blue

Pranay · Post by **Pranay** » 18 Nov 2013 22:54

Lalmohan wrote:but there was already some tension ahead of that incident, it wasnt entirely out of the blue

... not to prolong this on the Vikramaditya thread - but, yes. Impetus, among other things was the bombing of the USO in Naples and then the bombing of the Discotheque in Berlin...

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 18 Nov 2013 22:55

you can ring my be-e-ll ring my bell

member_23455 · Post by **member_23455** » 18 Nov 2013 23:15

But these one-off incidents can easily happen in the maritime domain especially since unlike land boundaries International waters give a lot of leeway for mischief (and in the case of the Libyans unrelenting stupidity).

While Pranay's bang on (awesome credentials, btw, BR could benefit from a thread about your sea stories) about foreign "visitors" (Bears and AGIs) being almost a daily occurrence in Intnl. waters, the EP-3/J-8 Mid-Air and our own Atlantique shootdown show that it's a game of fine margins.

Which is why to suggest a Phalcon would be put out there by the IAF to play such games on a regular basis is borderline hilarious.

I do hope the Russians or Israelis are going to give us some TARPS/ATARS-like ISR capability on the Mig 29Ks. Would be awesome.

vishvak · Post by **vishvak** » 18 Nov 2013 23:27

Sorry if posted earlier,
Former navy chief of staff, Admiral Arun Prakash
‘INS Vikramaditya’ promises to change the balance of power in the Indian Ocean

member_23455 · Post by **member_23455** » 18 Nov 2013 23:46

vishvak wrote:Sorry if posted earlier,
Former navy chief of staff, Admiral Arun Prakash
‘INS Vikramaditya’ promises to change the balance of power in the Indian Ocean

It's written for a certain audience so there is certainly some hyperbole but he totally nails it, as expected of a warrior with his pedigree.

This 44,500 tonne behemoth, with its formidable air-group, will be able to exercise sea-control over a three-dimensional bubble of 400-450 mile radius. Any hostile ship, aircraft or submarine enters this zone of control at its peril. The ship has the capability of “projecting power” over a hostile shore, using the MiG-29K to deliver kinetic strikes with guns, rockets or stand-off missiles.

When they are put out to sea as operational aircraft-carriers, both the Liaoning and the Vikramaditya will be observed with great interest by maritime professionals. The Chinese navy, with the bigger ship, an untried aircraft and with no background of carrier operations, will be stepping out cautiously. In contrast, the Indian navy, with an experienced naval aircrew and half a century of carrier operations behind it, should be deploying the Vikramaditya with confidence and panache.

vivek_ahuja · Post by **vivek_ahuja** » 19 Nov 2013 00:53

Hitesh wrote:But the USN mandates and enforces a no fly zone around their carriers. They will shoot down anything that is not friendly that comes close to their carrier, peacetime or not.

Google chacha on first page:

Some snooping

More snooping

Even more snooping

Fact is, the US navy will very well ensure that potentially hostile snoopers are always escorted close in by armed fighters. One mistake move from the bandit and its time for it to take a bath.

Other than that, no shoot-downs occur during these relatively-routine snopping ops.

If we are gonna enter the big leagues, expect the big league rules to apply.

-Vivek

vivek_ahuja · Post by **vivek_ahuja** » 19 Nov 2013 00:56

Singha wrote:in theory & hollywood yes, in practice no when dealing with a non-jihadi type known intruder esp russian. case in point a lumbering Tu95 flew 600m height over the deck of the nimitz in 2008
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/US/02/11/russian.bomber/
there was another incident where I think a pair of fighters did this in the far east and the only thing that was already on deck was a C2 supply plane which was launched. the pilots had some fun climbing all over his 6'o'clock and then left.

few interesting pics here incl a IL38 flying low over a supercarrier and a B52(!) over a kiev class
http://img74.imageshack.us/img74/9207/m ... 56bno5.jpg
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2639137/posts

there seems to be some unspoken or track2 'rules' to this game and some dos and donts both parties are aware of. so long as these rules are followed the game goes on, because the costs are too high otherwise.

Ah,

I see that Singha beat me to the punch on this.

-Vivek

Hitesh · Post by **Hitesh** » 19 Nov 2013 02:02

Pranay wrote:
Hitesh wrote:Pranay,

That is Russia. Any other country, yes. Remember the Libyan incident in the early 80s. They shot down a couple Libyan MiGs for getting too close to the carriers.

Remember?? I was there!! The Russians followed us all the way in to the Gulf of Sidra - close in (surface and air) - till the time we attacked Libya. Not just the Libyan AF planes - but a Libyan missile boat was also destroyed.

Nice! I look forward to your war stories! How did you end up serving in the USN? Are you still in service?

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 19 Nov 2013 03:20

Norweign boat could have been harrassed

If we trust everything that is said we can never complete the story. Best stories are those that we make up.

neeraj · Post by **neeraj** » 19 Nov 2013 04:53

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/e ... aditya.jpg - from WIKI

What is that mounted behind the tail of Mig - AK-630M? I thought there were no AAD defence installed

tushar_m · Post by **tushar_m** » 19 Nov 2013 07:01

neeraj wrote:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/e ... aditya.jpg - from WIKI

What is that mounted behind the tail of Mig - AK-630M? I thought there were no AAD defence installed

Its Pk2m chaff/flare launchers not AK630

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 19 Nov 2013 08:01

It very common and pretty much routine to be greeted by Norway P-3C or NATO ships out in the Barrents ,Not sure what Shiv Aroor found out of the ordinary there.

The come there to tease ships to put on the radar to finger print it while ships keep all the radars off just another cat and mouse game.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 19 Nov 2013 08:15

Russia and India are negotiating maintenance "Vikramaditya"
http://vpk.name/news/100467_rossiya_i_i ... aditi.html

"The group remains on Karwar naval base, where the aircraft carrier will be assigned for a period of one year. Currently there are negotiations on contractual obligations after the expiration of the warranty period of service, "said vice-president of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC), Igor Ponomarev.

"Russia seeks to modernize the aircraft carrier during the entire 40-year life cycle. It was the most difficult and unusual project that we have ever carried. "Vikramaditya" is not just a renovated ship. It all new, except for housing, "said chief designer of the Nevsky PKB Sergei Vlasov, he was among the first engineers who designed TAVKR" Admiral Gorshkov ". Asked about the problems of working with the Government of India and the navy, he smiles: "When we were preparing the documentation every six months Indians approached us with inquiries, required a lot of information. We were not burdened by contractual obligations to the topic, but we went to the contacts because of the open and friendly relations between us. " Indian Navy paid a lot of attention to improving the comfort of the service crew on board the "Vikramaditya". "I hope that the Russian Navy will draw some lessons from our work on ergonomics," he says.

Indian journalist asked Vlasov of "conspicuous absence" on the ship air defense systems, he shook his head and said, "Indian Navy did not appeal to us with this question. Ships of this class may not have their own means of defense, because carriers do not walk alone. We are asked about the possibility of the integration of Israel's air defense system on the aircraft carrier, but did not receive the request. I foresee some problems with the integration of Israel's air defense system, but it is not within our control. " Vlasov said that if the Indian Navy will be asked to install the ship missile defense system "Chestnut" and MZAK AKA-630, they can be integrated quickly.

Ponomariov was frank: "We underestimated the initial work. Were difficult and serious discussion in one year there were six. But what happens in the world, it is normal practice in the shipbuilding industry. "

Responsible deliverer "Vikramaditya" Igor Leonov, probably knows more than any other thing you can do to "Vikramaditya" right now. "After 2004, the Indian side bombarded us asking for the integration of a huge number of new systems. There were a lot more than was required under the contract, "he says.

USC Chapter stands ready to assist in the construction of the Indian national carrier Vikrant (Project 71) at the shipyard in Cochin: "We are providing some assistance, ready to provide any additional, if requested by the Indian side. I doubt that the U.S. and the EU would like to share technologies, to the extent that we can provide. " Ponomarev also noted that Russia offered India to buy three more advanced class frigate Talwar, the proposal being studied by the Indian side. On the table is also upgrading submarine Project 877 at the shipyard "asterisk".

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 19 Nov 2013 08:18

Chestnut perhaps is Kashtan-M , They should have integrated the Kashtan-M CIWS system for Vikramaditya , Total 6-8 system for 360 * cover .the first Talwar batch already has this system.

member_23455 · Post by **member_23455** » 19 Nov 2013 08:43

Chestnut is Kashtan. Maybe, and I'm just speculating here, the Navy's experience with the AK630 has been better.

What I'd be really interested in is seeing, at a CBG level, which of our ship classes is going to fulfill the "SAM Central" role that Aegis cruisers /destroyers do for the USN and the Kirovs did for the Soviets. Project 15-A or Project 15-B?

If the carrier is having to use its organic AAD, things are already going badly.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 19 Nov 2013 09:10

The Kashtan-M is a capable system but an expensive one too and there were news that IN didnt opt for AD on Vikram as it turned out to be expensive.

Vikramaditya will need 6-8 Kashtan-M to give it a 360 * CIWS cover ( as ref the much bigger Kuznetsov has 8 Kashtan-M ) and more over the IN deciding to standardise on OFB built AK-630 and IAI Barak-1 as CIWS on all ships standardising being a way to go ahead and this combination being good enough for Navy needs.

Right now they would refit AK-630/Barak-1 once it reaches India and at later stage Barak-8 would be added giving Vikramaditya a very capable AD system.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 19 Nov 2013 09:39

Kuz being buzzed by Norway P-3C
Article http://www.aviationweek.com/blogs.aspx? ... 67a431bd80

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 19 Nov 2013 09:51

dna edit: Into deep waters

INS Vikramaditya's induction is an important step towards the geostrategic imperative of establishing the Indian Navy's blue-water capabilities.

The commissioning of the INS Vikramaditya at the Sevmash shipyard in Russia today is being described as a game-changer in naval circles. It is a much-needed emphasis on a strategic reality that does not always receive the focus it deserves. The Indian Army — not surprisingly given the country’s neighbours to the north and west — commands the lion’s share of the public and media attention as well as the defence budget; 49 per cent in 2013-14. The air force’s profile has been increasing steadily with big-ticket procurement deals; it’s accounted for 28 per cent of the budget. But it’s a truism that the expression of a country’s geostrategic influence occurs primarily via its navy. The US, for instance, plays the dominant role it does in the Middle East, South East Asia and elsewhere because of the immense force-projection capabilities its navy affords it. Its 11 carrier battle groups are at the heart of these capabilities.

Given various factors — India’s rising international profile, its dependence on energy imports, its Look East policy, China’s growing naval capabilities, and above all, its central position in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) — the Indian Navy plays a particularly prominent role in its national security and strategic calculus. Forty per cent of the world’s offshore oil production comes from the Indian Ocean, after all. More, two-thirds of the world’s oil shipments, one-third of its bulk cargo and half of the container traffic transit over its sea-lanes and choke points.

Keeping these factors in mind, a brief look at a map should make the advantage India’s position in the IOR gives it, apparent — presuming commensurate naval capabilities. The military build-up of the Andaman and Nicobar islands, for instance, gives India a vital geostrategic edge — in Navy Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma’s words — when it comes to the Malacca Strait. South of the archipelago, the Strait is a chokepoint for global trade; about a quarter of the world’s traded goods pass through it, including some 77 per cent of China’s oil imports. In a larger context, a powerful navy provides New Delhi with one of the most potent tools in its toolbox to implement foreign policy objectives to the east and the west, both.

India’s Look East policy, for instance, must pivot on its navy if it is to be fleshed out. Trade and economic ties are well and good, but South East Asian nations have been increasingly looking to India for a naval presence in the region that will help counter Chinese influence. And while it would be foolish for New Delhi to allow itself to be used blatantly as a counterweight, a signal of latent capability would be appropriate given Beijing’s growing naval clout and its interest in expanding its IOR footprint.

China is not the only factor, of course. If India is to establish itself as an IOR heavyweight, it must display the intent and ability to provide public goods as the US navy does now — from combating piracy in the Gulf of Aden to protecting global shipping lanes and providing humanitarian assistance in the event of natural disasters. INS Vikramaditya is a step in the right direction — but as 2011 CAG report highlighting delays and massive cost overruns in various key naval modernisation programs shows, much remains to be done despite the navy’s share of the defence budget being raised to 18 per cent. New Delhi began a necessary process in the early 1990s when it realised the importance of a blue water navy. Now, it must take the process forward.

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 19 Nov 2013 10:29

The Russian ship builder's comments confused two separate issues:

1. Planned LRSAM/Barak-8 Installation
2. CIWS

LRSAM troubles are brewing unknown to general public. Seems to be a mixture of technical cooperation issues and the performance of the system itself.

However, the lack of C-Wiz is surprising. Hazarding a guess; the Navy's plan is to shift the system from Viraat to Vikramaditya.

Regarding Gun systems ... all our latest ships including the latest Talwar class (3) and Deepak class (2) have the same even though manufactured outside India. So it truly is a surprise. Maybe they are planning to install 76mm cannons instead? I think there is space for one in rear Port corner.

Austin, which are the likely sites for AK-630, Barak-1 and Barak-8 on the ship?

Austin wrote:The Kashtan-M is a capable system but an expensive one too and there were news that IN didnt opt for AD on Vikram as it turned out to be expensive.

Vikramaditya will need 6-8 Kashtan-M to give it a 360 * CIWS cover ( as ref the much bigger Kuznetsov has 8 Kashtan-M ) and more over the IN deciding to standardise on OFB built AK-630 and IAI Barak-1 as CIWS on all ships standardising being a way to go ahead and this combination being good enough for Navy needs.

Right now they would refit AK-630/Barak-1 once it reaches India and at later stage Barak-8 would be added giving Vikramaditya a very capable AD system.

srin · Post by **srin** » 19 Nov 2013 12:13

Does OFB manufacture AK 630 ? That might explain things a bit.

And of course, Barak-1 after the Navy figures out if IAI is blacklisted or not.

harbans · Post by **harbans** » 19 Nov 2013 13:07

Looking at the funnel exhaust in the pic..that certainly is not LSHSD being burnt.

pragnya · Post by **pragnya** » 19 Nov 2013 13:14

srin wrote:Does OFB manufacture AK 630 ? That might explain things a bit.

it does under licence.

member_23455 · Post by **member_23455** » 19 Nov 2013 13:18

srin wrote:Does OFB manufacture AK 630 ? That might explain things a bit.

And of course, Barak-1 after the Navy figures out if IAI is blacklisted or not.

Navy and the other services have all figured out they want IAI...MoD hasn't. Matter of time where a compromise is set-up. Barak-8 is a whole different shenanigan. DRDO was expecting Brahmos-like treatment...the Israelis don't play that nice for anyone.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 19 Nov 2013 14:51

Aditya G wrote:Regarding Gun systems ... all our latest ships including the latest Talwar class (3) and Deepak class (2) have the same even though manufactured outside India. So it truly is a surprise. Maybe they are planning to install 76mm cannons instead? I think there is space for one in rear Port corner.

IIRC the last 3 batch of Teg class dont have CIWS but was suppose to be fitted out in India , So its likely a policy decision to standardise on Barak-1/AK-630 CIWS which IMHO is quite decent for our threat environment ....good to scale from top end anti-piracy weapon to proper CIWS against anti-ship missile and aircraft.

Austin, which are the likely sites for AK-630, Barak-1 and Barak-8 on the ship?

From the pic I found at Mr Senguptas blogs , I would hazzard a guess that it would be at the edge of the island where you find extension ...built for but not with capability for CIWS

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LxLNxrbpk-M/U ... itya-1.jpg
Barak-8 Radar Fitment http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4soPIvguWT8/U ... itya-2.jpg

Some sensor suite of Vikramaditya

Fregat ME2M --> http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QTeMFPrCTNU/U ... LYUT-1.jpg
Fregat Specs http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9yxMw-BzKTA/U ... LYUT-2.jpg

Podberezovik-ET2 http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l1flrjasUHY/U ... LYUT-1.jpg
Podberezovik-ET2 http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bFmxQyXsXbw/U ... LYUT-2.jpg

nits · Post by **nits** » 19 Nov 2013 15:27

Singha wrote:the Vik was probably with no other escort barring a tugboat. the barents sea is supposed to be their 'bastion' so probably the radar operators were sleeping or they just dont care as its not their ship to sail anymore.

More important why we need fighters on baord of Vik...when its crossing half the way of world and coming to Desh. Currently no aircarfts are planned to be there on Vik Board in her maiden journey

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 19 Nov 2013 17:31

Good Info on INS Vikramaditya from MOD

INS Vikramaditya – Game changer

At the time of attaining our Independence our visionary leaders saw the centrality of a powerful Navy and set us on the right course by envisaging an Indian Navy centred on aircraft carriers for sea control in our expansive areas of maritime interest. INS Vikrant, India’s first aircraft carrier was acquired from Great Britain and commissioned on 04 Mar 1961. INS Vikrant was a Majestic class CATOBAR (Catapult Assisted Take Off but Arrested Recovery) carrier and operated Sea Hawk fighters, Alize (Anti-Submarine Warfare) aircraft and Seaking helicopters. Consistent with its vision, India next acquired HMS Hermes, a Centaur class STOVL carrier and a veteran of the Falkland War. INS Viraat was commissioned on 12 May 1987 as India’s second aircraft carrier and India’s first STOVL carrier operating the Sea Harrier aircraft. Soon after the acquisition of INS Viraat, INS Vikrant was also converted from a CATOBAR carrier to a STOVL (Short Take-off and Vertical Landing) carrier. INS Vikrant was decommissioned on 31 Jan 1997, after 36 years of glorious service under the Indian ensign. For almost a decade India had two aircraft carriers and the Indian Navy was fully cognisant of the criticality of having an aircraft carrier available for deployment on each seaboard to fulfil the Navy’s assigned tasks. In recognition of the importance of aircraft carriers, the Indian Navy had already started exploring the possibility of indigenously designing and constructing an Aircraft Carrier, this project took off in right earnest in the late 90s as the Air Defence Ship was conceived. However, given the long gestation period of such projects, the search for a replacement for INS Vikrant gained momentum as its decommissioning drew closer.

It was at this juncture that Russia offered Admiral Gorshkov to the Indian Navy. Negotiations over acquiring the 44,500 ton Admiral Gorshkov started in 1994. Various high level delegations who had assessed the ship had independently concluded that the ship’s hull was in good material state and would be worth considering for exploitation in the Indian Navy with a suitable mix of aircraft.

Signing of the Contract

After detailed negotiations the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding in Dec 1998 during a visit by Russian PM Yevgeny Primakov. The Inter-Governmental Agreement which included acquisition of Project 11430 (Admiral Gorshkov) was signed between the Federation of Russia and the Union Government of India on 04 Oct 2000. After a Detailed Project Development Review, contractual negotiations and thereafter price negotiations, Government approved the acquisition on 17 Jan 04 at a cost of Rs 4881.67 Cr for the complete package of R&R of the ship, spares, infrastructure augmentation and documentation. The deal was signed on 20 Jan 04 and the effective date of the contract was established as 24 Feb 04. The R&R of the ship commenced from 09 Apr 04.

The repair and refit was being undertaken by FSUE Sevmash, the state owned shipyard at Severodvinsk, Russia. The R&R was scheduled to have been completed within 52 months. Though the refurbishment process was started in right earnest, soon it was realized that the work and equipment requiring replacement was significantly higher than originally estimated. Entire length of cable, large portions of steel hull, motors, turbines and boilers, etc. would have to be completely replaced with resulting in cost escalation and time slippage.

A protracted renegotiation for arriving at a mutually acceptable price for refurbishment was held in the ensuing months. Finally, in Dec 2009, the Indian and the Russian sides arrived at an agreement on the final price of delivery of this ship. More significantly, it was agreed that the delivery of the ship would take place only in the year 2012. Though the re-negotiated price was significantly higher than what was originally agreed upon, the fillip that the addition of Gorshkov would give to the Blue water requirements of Indian Navy compensated the greater price.

The Journey of Admiral Gorshkov (nee Baku)

The journey of ‘Vikramaditya’ began as the Kiev class aircraft carrying cruiser ‘Baku’. Developed from the Moskva class helicopter carrying guided missile cruisers the Kiev class was a pioneering Soviet era design, featuring a flight deck arrangement capable of operating fixed wing VTOL fighters for the first time in the Soviet Navy. Baku was constructed by Chernomorsky Ship Building Enterprise, Nikolayev (now in Ukraine). About 400 enterprises and nearly 1,500 - 2,000 workers from different republics of USSR took part in building of the ship. The ship was commissioned on 20 Dec 1987. Conceived as an armed cruiser, Baku was heavily armed with twelve Anti-Ship Missile launchers, ten gun mounts of differing calibre and rocket launchers and depth charges. The air element comprised Yak-38 aircraft.

‘Baku’ was envisioned to be a full-fledged aircraft carrier by Admiral SG Gorshkov, however, due to conflicting dynamics at that time, the ship turned out as the last ‘compromise’ ship of the Kiev series. After her development and construction, it became clear to the Soviet leadership that the vision of Admiral Gorshkov of a classical aircraft carrier with ship borne aircraft as the primary weapons was indeed the most logical way ahead to develop the surface forces. On 07 Nov 1990, the ship was named after Admiral Sergey Georgiyevich Gorshkov.

Baku/Admiral Gorshkov began its active operational service with the Northern Fleet and was deployed in the Mediterranean Sea and remained in active service till 1992 and thereafter continued in service albeit with limited operational deployments. The ship was finally decommissioned in 1996.

The Transformation Project 11430

Admiral Gorshkov was put in hibernation after her last sailing in 1995. With most of her equipment lying un-utilised since then, the task of breathing life and converting her from a VTOL (Vertical Takeoff and Landing) missile cruiser carrier to a STOBAR aircraft carrier involved substantial degutting, equipment removal, refit and re-equipping. The major works envisaged were modification of flight deck to include ski-jump and arrester gear; modification of bulbous bow, aft aircraft lift & ammunition lifts; modification of 1750 out of 2500 compartments; installation of new main boilers; installation of new and additional Diesel Generators; replacement of existing distilling plants; fitment of Reverse Osmosis plants, new AC plants and Refrigeration plants and installation of new sensors and equipment. In 2007, as the refit and repair of the ship was in progress, the yard realized that the scope of work was much larger than initially estimated and so a revised timeline for completion of the task of modernization was agreed upon by both Russian and Indian sides. With a revised timeline the delivery of ship was expected by end 2012.

A Peek at the Scope of Work

Creation of Ski Jump

Creation of the flight deck with structural modification to convert the VTOL carrier to a STOBAR carrier was the most intricate and arduous. The task involved installation of Sponsons to increase the breadth at the Flight Deck and a fitment of a new 14 degree Ski jump, strengthening of arresting gear area, strengthening of run way area and elongation of the aft end to generate the required length of landing strip aft of the arresting gear. In all 234 new hull sections were installed to achieve the desired shape. Total steel work for carrying out structural modification on flight deck amounted to 2500T.

Modification of Super structure

The superstructure was modified to accommodate a host of sensors and equipment such as radars, Electronic Warfare suite and Action Information Organisation system and other systems to suit the requirements of ship borne fighters and rotors. A very unique structural modification that was carried out on board the ship was the installation of the aft mast for accommodating various communication antennae.

Machinery Modification

Vikramaditya in its older avatar was powered by boilers fuelled by heavy oil, FFO. The re-equipping included replacement of these old boilers with state of the art boilers utilizing LSHSD and providing a steam capacity of 100 Tonnes per Hour each.

Electrical re-cabling

The initial estimate included replacement of only 1400 kms of old cable with new cables. However, as degutting progressed and confined spaces were accessed it was realised that an additional 900 kms of cable will need to be replaced. Finally the mammoth task involved replacing 2300 kms of cable, which is a little short of half of the entire coastline of India.

Outfitting

The modification plan of Vikramaditya was not restricted to the gears and sparks alone. The change also necessitated revamp of the living spaces and galleys to cater to the needs of the Indian men in uniform. Of 2500 a total of 1750 compartments were completely re-fabricated. A host of new galley equipment suited for preparation of Indian food like dosas and chapatis was also installed.

Arrestor and Restraining Gears

The conversion of VTOL carrier to STOBAR involved fitment of three 30m wide arrester gears and three restraining gears. Installation of these equipment not only involved modification and strengthening of the flight deck but also changes to internal layout of compartments.

To sum it up, a total of 234 new hull sections were fabricated using 2500 tonnes of steel which is almost equivalent to the standard displacement of a mid-size frigate. Repair and re-equipping of Vikramaditya to give a new lease of life as a full- fledged carrier was no mean task and was probably as demanding a task as constructing a similar tonnage ship from the drawing board. The task was enabled by the expertise and experience of the Russian designers and yard workers working hand in glove with Indian experts. The extreme cold weather conditions of winter only made the work environment harder. At the end of this refit, spanning a little short of a decade, Vikramaditya has metamorphosed into a fully capable and potent platform.

Rise of the Phoenix …

Vikramaditya sailed for the first time under own power at 1200 hrs on 10 Jun 12, after a gap of about 17 years.

The New Avtar ‘Vikramaditya’

An aircraft carrier carrying potent long range multi-role fighters is a platform inherently deigned for power projection. In as much as ‘Gorshkov’ was transformed to create ‘Vikramaditya’, so also Vikramaditya will transform the face of the Fleet Air Arm of the Indian Navy.

Vikramaditya, the floating airfield has an overall length of about 284 meters and a maximum beam of about 60 meters, stretching as much as three football fields put together. Standing about 20 storeys tall from keel to the highest point, the sheer sight of this 44,500 tonnes mega structure of steel is awe inspiring. The ship has a total of 22 decks.

With over 1,600 personnel on board, Vikramaditya is literally a ‘Floating City’. Associated with this large population is a mammoth logistics requirement - nearly a lakh of eggs, 20,000 litres of milk and 16 tonnes of rice per month. With her complete stock of provisions, she is capable of sustaining herself at sea for a period of about 45 days. With a capacity of over 8,000 tonnes of LSHSD, she is capable of operations up to a range of over 7,000 nautical miles or 13000 kms.

To enable this 44,500 tonnes floating steel city to cut through the choppy seas with speeds of up to 30 knots, she is powered by 08 new generation boilers of steam capacity of 100 TPH at a very high pressure of 64 bars, generating a total output power of 180,000 SHP. Vikramaditya heralds in a new generation of boiler technology with a very high level of automation. These high pressure and highly efficient boilers power four enormous propellers, each greater in diameter than twice the height of an average male. Such a four propeller - four shaft configuration is another first in the Indian Navy.

The 06 turbo alternators and 06 diesel alternators onboard generate a total electricity of 18 megawatts to power various equipment of the ship, enough to cater to the lighting requirement of a mini city. The ship also houses 02 Reverse Osmosis plants providing an uninterrupted supply of 400 Tons per day of fresh water.

An extensive revamp of sensors including fitment of Long range Air Surveillance Radars, Advanced Electronic Warfare Suite makes the ship capable of maintaining a surveillance bubble of over 500 kms around the ship.

The ship has the ability to carry over 30 aircraft comprising an assortment of MiG 29K/Sea Harrier, Kamov 31, Kamov 28, Sea King, ALH-Dhruv and Chetak helicopters. The MiG 29K swing role fighter is the main offensive platform and provides a quantum jump for the Indian Navy’s maritime strike capability. These fourth generation air superiority fighters provide a significant fillip for the Indian Navy with a range of over 700 nm (extendable to over 1,900 nm with inflight refueling) and an array of weapons including anti-ship missiles, Beyond Visual Range air-to-air missiles, guided bombs and rockets.

The ship is equipped with state of the art launch and recovery systems along with aids to enable smooth and efficient operation of ship borne aircraft. Major systems include the LUNA Landing system for MiGs, DAPS Landing system for Sea Harriers and Flight deck lighting systems.

The heart of the operational network that infuses life into the combat systems onboard the ship is the Computer aided Action Information Organisation (CAIO) system, LESORUB-E. LESORUB has the capability to gather data from ship’s sensors and data links and to process, collate and assemble comprehensive tactical pictures. This state of the art system has been specifically designed keeping in mind the essential requirement on the carrier for fighter control and direction.

One of the most prominent equipment fitted on the super structure is the Resistor-E radar complex. Resistor-E is the automated system designed for providing air traffic control, approach/landing and short range navigation for ship borne aircraft. This complex along with its various sub-systems provides navigation and flight data to ship borne aircraft operating at extended ranges from the mother ship. The precision approach guidance system aids the fighters on approach to be directed down to a distance of 30 meters short of flight deck. Vikramaditya also boasts of a very modern communication complex, CCS MK II, to meet her external communication requirement. Installation of Link II tactical data system allows her to be fully integrated with the Indian Navy’s network centric operations.

Once integrated, INS Vikramaditya will bring transformational capabilities to the Indian Navy and will be a ‘game changer’.

rudradeep · Post by **rudradeep** » 19 Nov 2013 17:34

vivek_ahuja wrote: Fact is, the US navy will very well ensure that potentially hostile snoopers are always escorted close in by armed fighters. One mistake move from the bandit and its time for it to take a bath.

Other than that, no shoot-downs occur during these relatively-routine snopping ops.

If we are gonna enter the big leagues, expect the big league rules to apply.

-Vivek

Fact of the matter is that we have been doing the same since long before and will continue doing so. Below is an URL to a image of an IN Tu-142M being escorted by an USN F14 when we were 'visiting' the USS Carl Vinson in 1998 during it's deployment to the Indian Ocean

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File: ... 2MK-E.JPEG

tsarkar · Post by **tsarkar** » 19 Nov 2013 17:39

Barak had better performance than Kashtan in service, hence standardization on it. Indian Shipyards or Naval Dockyard can better integrate Barak, having done so on 10+ ships including Russian, while the Russians would have done it for the first time. Deepak & Shakti AK-630 + EO guidance were fitted in India after they were delivered - Italian shipyard had never ever fitted AK-630.

Much ado about nothing...

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 19 Nov 2013 17:42

Combat Management System of Vikramaditya

LESORUB-E Combat Management Automated System

tsarkar · Post by **tsarkar** » 19 Nov 2013 18:09

Deepak in Italy without AK-630 http://www.naviearmatori.net/albums/use ... EPAK_2.JPG

Deepak transiting from Italy to India without AK-630 http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5sP7XwykNSM/T ... Mumbai.jpg

Deepak in India fitted with 4 AK-630 http://www.flickr.com/photos/23966973@N ... 0/sizes/o/

Better view of 4 AK-630 & 2 EO controllers (one fore one aft) http://www.naviosbrasileiros.com.br/ngb ... 21-f52.jpg

member_23455 · Post by **member_23455** » 19 Nov 2013 20:26

Hitesh wrote:
Nice! I look forward to your war stories! How did you end up serving in the USN? Are you still in service?

Minor OT...but if Pranay has operated in the Indian Ocean AOR, I bet he has a "Welcome to our Ocean" story....most USN personnel do

.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 19 Nov 2013 21:51

Nightwatch, 18 Nov 2013 :

India: Update: On Saturday, 16 November, Defence Minister Antony commissioned the fully refurbished aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov as India's second aircraft carrier, INS Vikramaditya, in Severodvinsk, Russia.

Comment: India is at a decision point involving its sense of identity. The two aircraft carrier fleet is one of several metaphors for a great power vision of India's role in international affairs. Other metaphors also are military connected, including acquisition of intercontinental supersonic bombers and intercontinental ballistic missile forces. India has not yet made the decision about its leadership role past 2025.

India does not yet have the economy to support the role of a great power, but it is achievable with political and economic will. The need for a strategic decision is not yet pressing, but the discussion continues. The Indian Navy does not yet have two carrier task groups, but expects to have them after 2018 when the first Indian-built 45,000 ton carrier is in service.

So by 2018 some of the key enablers of great power will be in place while the horizon is only 2025.

Akshay Kapoor · Post by **Akshay Kapoor** » 20 Nov 2013 01:20

We will not have enough destroyers and frigates by 2018 ( only 8 destroyers including Ranvijay and Ranvir and 12 Frigates not including the Godavaris) so deploying 2 CBG is unrealistic. And very few subs. Carriers will be very vulnerable without enough subs. Both will never be deployed far from our shores simultaneously till we have an adequate surface and sub fleet.

We have an unsinkable carrier in A&N and should be focusing on getting enough a/c there and also a couple of subs and Destroyers/Frigates. That will be a game changer. I think we missed a trick here.

Akshay Kapoor · Post by **Akshay Kapoor** » 20 Nov 2013 01:54

And helicopters too. Just about 15 Seak King Mk 42Bs and about 10 KA28s left. Sea Kings will be 30 yrs old by then.

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 20 Nov 2013 02:30

2 CBG really means 1 out at sea and the other one close to the shore = 1.5 CBGs. Indian MoD has her own math.

nachiket · Post by **nachiket** » 20 Nov 2013 02:34

Akshay Kapoor wrote:We will not have enough destroyers and frigates by 2018 ( only 8 destroyers including Ranvijay and Ranvir and 12 Frigates not including the Godavaris) so deploying 2 CBG is unrealistic. And very few subs. Carriers will be very vulnerable without enough subs. Both will never be deployed far from our shores simultaneously till we have an adequate surface and sub fleet.

I doubt Diesel subs can be a part of CBG's anyway, even if we had enough of them. They are slow and have a limited range (even with AIP) compared to the other ships in the group. We need SSN's for that purpose.

Craig Alpert · Post by **Craig Alpert** » 20 Nov 2013 03:16

INS Vikramaditya may have been snooped by Nato allies

NEW DELHI: Aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya may have been snooped by a surveillance aircraft belonging to one of the Nato countries when it was undergoing sea trials in Russia.

The aircraft carrier may have been snooped by an American-origin P-3C Orion surveillance aircraft belonging to the Nato nations, sources said.

They, however, said the warship was with the Russian navy when the P-3C Orion flew close to it during the sea trials.
INS Vikramaditya has generated a lot of interest in the global navies and a lot of them, including both friends and adversaries, want to know about its capabilities and strengths.

...

The escorting warships are also expected to protect it form any snooping attempt and other such measures.