drnayar wrote: ↑15 May 2024 20:56
why the pessimism, admiral ?
As long as it is ordered no need to worry ., Indian procurements are like that complicated child birth !!.. you never know the delivery date
![Mr. Green :mrgreen:](./images/smilies/icon_mrgreen.gif)
unless it comes to consultant PMs attention and an emergency caesarian is done for express delivery
Dr Saab, nothing has been ordered. That is the problem
This is like the 65,000 ton IAC-3 super carrier tamasha that went on for a decade. What came out of it?
This is a knee jerk reaction to the PLAN's Fujian sea trials. Now this circus will go back and forth for another decade. No concrete decision will ever be taken. When this goes to the Ministry of Finance for sanction, then watch the comedy that will occur.
Q. What is the construction timeframe for 5 - 6 more aircraft carriers? They have yet to sanction funds for IAC-3, forget keel laying! And they are talking about 5 to 6 more vessels!
Q. How many active aircraft carriers does the Navy want at any given time? Is it 3 + 5 (or 6) = 8 or 9 aircraft carriers? Or is this plan of 5 to 6 more aircraft carriers factor into account of the older vessels i.e. INS Vikramaditya? So will the newer vessels act as a replacement?
Q. How will the Navy afford this in lieu of all the other acquisitions they have in the pipeline. I am not even going to get into the Army and Air Force requirements. What will be the Air Force's (valid) budgetary objections to this new Naval HQ scheme of 5 to 6 additional aircraft carriers?
Did Rajnath Singh ever think of the above OR did he just blindly regurgitate what the Admirals at Naval HQ are telling him? This is a conniving ploy by Naval HQ to put all the onus on the Raksha Mantri. When this plan goes south (and it will), they will throw Rajnath Singh under the bus. They learnt their lesson from IAC-3, in which it was multiple chiefs arguing for it. After these chiefs got egg on their face, now this is Naval HQ's latest tactic.
P.S. A consistent and successive build program is something that makes ample sense. But having a 8 or 9 aircraft carrier fleet is budgetary foolishness! Oh to be a fly on the wall when the then CNS, Admiral Karambir Singh told the then CDS, the late General Bipin Rawat that the Navy could afford everything ---> six SSNs, six P-75I, IAC-3, etc. The look on the General's face must have been indeed priceless.