Indian Navy News & Discussion - 22 April 2015

brar_w · Post by **brar_w** » 09 May 2015 07:59

The largest fighter engine in development or operation is the F-135. Here is the Osprey carrying it, the USN required this demonstration before they selected the V-22 as their COD platform for the CVN. This is also how the Marines will get an F-135 module onto their LHD's.

My feel is that the Vishal needs to be a full-fledged carrier: it should be able to accommodate crafts such as the Greyhound (it can deliver spare engines for the air crafts). IN needs, besides hosting a ton of aircrafts, be able to service them, including things like testing + changing engines, etc.

The greyhound is done. The V-22 is replacing it in the USN. There are certain mothballed Greyhounds in storage that could be sold after getting extensive refurbishment. In fact for the COD role Lockheed had offered to take them out and re-wing them (and electronics, cockpit etc) but that was not chosen compared to the V-22, which is now a proven platform. When the IN actually needs such an aircraft the C-2 won't be an option. The V-22 also isn't going to use the Cat or arresting mechanism. It will perform on the CVN just as it does on an LHD so it would continue to be a strong option for nations like the UK, South Korea, Australia, Turkey, Spain etc that are going to be operating Non CAT carriers or LHD class ships. Japan has already purchased the V-22.

http://breakingdefense.com/2015/01/v-22 ... y-leaders/

http://breakingdefense.com/2015/02/navy ... er-refuel/

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 09 May 2015 16:41

INS sardar Patel commissioned.

Good idea to position those cruise missiles near Pak land

Plus it seems to be a fairly large sized one, given the number of ships that were moored on it for the commissioning ceremony.

Delhi & Kolkata

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 09 May 2015 16:46

http://www.abplive.in/author/nitingokha ... Sea-Board1

Incredibly, despite Gujarat’s vulnerability as a frontline coastal state closest to Pakistan on the Western Sea Board, the Indian Navy’s on-shore presence in the state was so far negligible. Remember, Gujarat has the longest coastline--880 NM—in India. Besides it shares 532 Km of land border with Pakistan. With the Commissioning of INS Sardar Patel, a critical gap in Gujarat’s defence is being sought to be filled. The new base will have a couple of Indian Naval ships stationed here permanently besides a complement of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and a Dornier aircraft for reconnaissance and surveillance.

The establishment of INS Sardar Patel has not come a day soon.

Consider this: In the past decade, the maritime infrastructure along the coast of Gujarat has grown manifold. Several civilian ports have come up along the coastline, which collectively handle 300 million tonnes of cargo annually. One estimate says these ports handle about 30 per cent of the total cargo handled in the ports of India. Besides, according to study, there are 12 single point moorings (SPMs) in the Gulf of Kutch, through which about 120 million tonnes of crude oil is supplied to various refineries located along the Gujarat coast and refineries slightly deeper in the hinterland. These SPMs handle over 70 per cent of India’s oil imports.

Given the strategic importance of these installations and infrastructure, Gujarat’s importance as well as its vulnerability cannot be emphasised enough. Although a small detachment of the Indian navy was available at Porbandar since 1997 and a Naval Officer In Charge (NOIC), Gujarat was posted at various locations in the state, not enough attention was given to a larger naval presence in Gujarat. However, events like the attack on Mumbai in November 2008 and recent attempts to send in hostile elements on fishing boats into Gujarat, perhaps a hastened the plans to improve Indian Navy’s ability to counter such threats along the state’s vulnerable coastline. So, during the last few years, conscious attempts have been made to increase in the Navy’s presence and operations in the North Arabian Sea and off the Gujarat coast. A ‘Defence of Gujarat’ Exercise led by the Navy along with participation of other agencies, such as Indian Coast Guard, Indian Air Force and State Authorities has been an annual feature for the past few years. These exercises have helped in enhancing coordination and bolstering the maritime security preparedness in Gujarat.

According to the Indian Navy, it has plans to base more ships in the ports of Gujarat, besides augmenting air assets at Naval Air Enclave, Porbandar. In order to ensure the security of maritime traffic plying through the Deep water Channel (DWC), off Okha and Gulf of Kutch against threats from enemy submarines/ mines, the Navy is also in the process of acquiring Shallow-Water, anti-submarine warfare (ASW) Craft and Mine Counter Measure vessels. These vessels will operate from various ports in Gujarat in the eventuality of any hostilities.

The enhanced operational tempo along the coast of Gujarat has made it imperative for the Navy to improve the infrastructure on ground. Accordingly, living quarters for its men and officers, schools, hospital, maintenance facilities for various naval assets are in the process of being built, enhanced and operationalised at Porabandar. The Gujarat government has allotted about 750 acres of land to facilitate the new Naval base in the state. As the base gets commissioned, elements of the India Navy's Western Fleet including aircraft carrier Viraat, destroyers Kolkata & Delhi, tanker Deepak, four stealth frigates, six missile boats, one OPV, two mobile missile coastal batteries and a handful fast interceptor craft lined up today outside Porbandar harbour to mark the big day.

prahaar · Post by **prahaar** » 09 May 2015 17:15

Would Porbandar base remove Gwadar port's strategic depth advantage compared to Karachi port? INS Kolkata needs to go 100KMs North and Karachi will be in range of Brahmos. Sounds terrifying.
As crow flies:
Mumbai->Karachi 1000KM, Porbandar->Karachi 500KM
Porbandar->Gwadar 1000KM, Porbandar->Chhabar 1100KM (approx)

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 09 May 2015 17:25

latest reports from nepal claim the 4 x V22 are on the ground following initial two missions.
the 1st one - it lifted only 300kg for unknown reason to some required village
the 2nd one - it took 300kg to same point but returned without landing due to its rotor wash blowing down the roof of a house!

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 09 May 2015 17:29

even the Osprey should be able to deliver spare engines. a fighter engine is max 1.2tons + protective case

http://www.aeropresse.com/photo-aviatio ... Osprey.jpg

even the NH90 http://www.milavia.net/airshows/rnzaf-o ... 2012_7.jpg

but range will be limited vs the C2 and the NH90 cannot do air to air refueling.

Point being that the carrier - IMHO -(will?) need a COD (Carrier Onboard Delivery) .......... among other things (such as a 90+ K ton ship, some 75+ planes, be able to steam into waters around Japan, through the SCS, etc).

I am of the opinion - and have been for years now - that the IN needs (or will need) a much bigger carrier. Carriers with 30 planes (plus 10 helos), able to launch two planes in sequence, etc, IMHO, will not suffice for India of the future.

Even in the past 5 years or so, the "game" has changed. This is clearly reflected in what the US is offering (as opposed to nothing offered even 10 years ago). And, I think that is the exercise that the IN is going through right now as we post (the visit to the USN Carl Vinson is an example).

C-2 or MV-22 or another alternative is not the point. At this point in time, that is too granular a point in my thinking.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 09 May 2015 17:32

we need 3 lifts and 3 catapults on vishal for sure. the incremental cost and size diff between a 75000t vs 65000t will not be much but worth it for addl airwing, fuel, helis, weapons etc.

brar_w · Post by **brar_w** » 09 May 2015 17:38

Singha wrote:latest reports from nepal claim the 4 x V22 are on the ground following initial two missions.
the 1st one - it lifted only 300kg for unknown reason to some required village
the 2nd one - it took 300kg to same point but returned without landing due to its rotor wash blowing down the roof of a house!

From what I gathered they are limited to areas where they could operate due to the downwash. Of course unlike a helicopter the V-22 aint going to be "optimal" for every possible mission that requires vertical take off or landing - it only needs to be good at what its designed to do for its operators (Amphibs, special ops, refuel, COD and possibly AEW in the future - Not a small list by any means

) As Major General Steven Busby of the USMC puts it It is an aircraft that can land like a helicopter..even though most folks automatically begin comparing it to a helo and the mission it performs, the reality is that it is NOT a helo... Its an Indispensable asset to the MAGTF and the way it conducts its business and allows them the flexibility to maneuver at sea (compared to their helicopters) develop future amphibious assault (don't think Iwo Jima but in a modern context). Don't be surprised if you get a C2 variant in the future especially with the Japanese picking it for their amphibious ships.

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articl ... rs-406415/

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 09 May 2015 23:00

Its one thing to build bases, we should also have the capacity to defend them. Hope the Navy buys a bunch of Akash & QRSAM/MRSAM as well for INS Sardar Patel.

ManuJ · Post by **ManuJ** » 10 May 2015 00:02

Does anyone know whether INS Sardar Patel is an expansion of the existing Coast Guard base or whether it's a new establishment?

Shreeman · Post by **Shreeman** » 10 May 2015 06:28

Singha wrote:latest reports from nepal claim the 4 x V22 are on the ground following initial two missions.
the 1st one - it lifted only 300kg for unknown reason to some required village
the 2nd one - it took 300kg to same point but returned without landing due to its rotor wash blowing down the roof of a house!

The story is the same on the chinooks languishing in Delhi (still? or did they fly to ktm) It is one thing to advertise glorious heavenly capabilities, but can they fit 41 bakistanis in them?

Earthquake Report ‏@ShakingEarth May 8
#NepalQuake - 3 British Chinook helicopters not allowed in Nepal + destroyed Laprak village without aid for 2 weeks - http://wp.me/p1bAUO-Cqr

Network For Okinawa ‏@CloseTheBase May 7
V-22 Osprey aircraft fail in Nepal relief effort. One blew off the roof of a house. One Osprey transported a... http://fb.me/7igMXBQSw
1 retweet 0 favorites

Notice the hue and cry beforehand, straight to the neu yolk times:

Ravi ‏@Editor_Orbat May 4
Nepal govt insisting on peacetime customs inspections; aid held up; 4 US V-22 held 72-hrs Okinawa before permission http://www.nytimes.com/2015/...

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 10 May 2015 15:01

Read the latest news about the JSF,"white elephant" claims.Still plagued with engine and software problems,costs rising.

Ideally,the next two carriers for the IN should be 65K t in size at least.RN studies found that was the ideal size for supporting a useful air complement of around 40+ aircraft/helos. They cut down costs by a few billions by not going in for cats and N-power. That way they can afford to build 2 QE carriers for approx GBP 6.5B ,which is expected to further escalate. Using a ski-jump saved $!B /carrier. Analysts say that unless the RN orders/operates a min of 48 JSFs ,the carriers will lack sufficient air capability (read latest report in the JSF td). The big Q as the CNS has said is what type of aircraft aboard it?

This is the key Q. Secondly,the other priorities of the IN like more subs.I was recently conversing with a v.knowledgable senior offr. ,submariner on the subject. The discussion took into account the entire history of the sub arm of the IN,we never had any accidents with our Russian Foxtrots,v.reliable,the controversy over the HDW deal,Kockums vs HDW, the U-boats refined to meet our reqs.,excellence of the Kilos,v.versatile,v.silent,feared a lot by the USN,need for N-subs ,AIP systems,et al. The critical need of the IN today is subs. Cost factor AIP vs SSNs. SSNs for extended ops (60-90 days usual patrol by superpower N-subs) outside the IOR.The contours of constructing mainly in India a balanced fleet needs to be carefully planned ,financed and executed.

If we design/build our planned 3-4 amphibs in line with the IAC-1,we would have significant extra interim air capability while the sub fleet is strengthened,after which the design,powerplant of the larger carriers and their accompanying aircraft can be determined.

brar_w · Post by **brar_w** » 10 May 2015 18:14

Read the latest news about the JSF,"white elephant" claims.Still plagued with engine and software problems,costs rising.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=6203&p=1841014#p1841014

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 10 May 2015 18:22

Kersi D · Post by **Kersi D** » 11 May 2015 10:42

prahaar wrote:Would Porbandar base remove Gwadar port's strategic depth advantage compared to Karachi port? INS Kolkata needs to go 100KMs North and Karachi will be in range of Brahmos. Sounds terrifying.
As crow flies:
Mumbai->Karachi 1000KM, Porbandar->Karachi 500KM
Porbandar->Gwadar 1000KM, Porbandar->Chhabar 1100KM (approx)

INS Kolkata can be in dry dock, even in Ahmedabad ( !!!! ) and Half of Pakistan is in the range of Nirbhay.

Kersi D · Post by **Kersi D** » 11 May 2015 11:06

Will US give us EMLAS without "strings" ?

The billion dollar question is "Which aircraft will IN use on INS Vishal, with EMALS? "

What are the options ?

Will Russia modify the MiG 29s on IN for catapult launch ?
Will US allow the MiG 29s for catapult launch ?

Will IN go for yet another aircraft, say Rafale ?
Will US allow the Rafale for catapult launch ? Probably yes. The steam catapult on CDG is supplied by US.

Or will US insist that we buy F 18 K/L/M/N

Tough decisions fro IN

But I am sure the IN will take a proper cost effective, preferably indegenious, option

Kersi D · Post by **Kersi D** » 11 May 2015 11:07

[quote="Aditya G"]INS sardar Patel commissioned.

Good idea to position those cruise missiles near Pak land

Plus it seems to be a fairly large sized one, given the number of ships that were moored on it for the commissioning ceremony.

Delhi & Kolkata

IS IN GOING TO USE STYX FRO COASTAL DEFENCE ?

I hope these Styx launchers are as gate guardians.

K

Neshant · Post by **Neshant** » 11 May 2015 11:38

Its the beginning of the great power warfare in Africa over the continents resources and location.

And it all starts with the setting up of foreign military bases.

Hope the babuz are not asleep at the wheel.

_____

China To Build Military Base In Africa Next To Critical Oil Transit Choke Point

One year ago China was well on its way to marking its territory in southern Africa, with a core military presence near the all important for global trade Cape of Good Hope which is the transit point for about 10% of global seaborne-traded oil. Fast forward to today when AFP reports that after securing Southen Africa, China is now in process of securing the second critical geopolitical area in Africa: the horn, which just happens to be right next to the infamous Bab el-Mandeb Strait located by the recently infamous country of Yemen, which in recent months has been overrun by US-armed Houthi Rebels. According to AFP, China is negotiating a military base in the strategic port of Djibouti, the president said, raising the prospect of US and Chinese bases side-by-side in the tiny Horn of Africa nation.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-05-1 ... hoke-point

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 11 May 2015 14:01

Kersi D wrote:
Aditya G wrote:INS sardar Patel commissioned.

Good idea to position those cruise missiles near Pak land Plus it seems to be a fairly large sized one, given the number of ships that were moored on it for the commissioning ceremony.

Delhi & Kolkata

IS IN GOING TO USE STYX FRO COASTAL DEFENCE ?

I hope these Styx launchers are as gate guardians.

K

This system has been in service for a while.... What is your concern?

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 11 May 2015 14:34

The priority should be strengthening the sub fleet,not a huge carrier that will consume half the IN's capita budget as it will include N-propulsion (perhaps),CATS/EMALS,new carrier aircraft,at least 40-50 aircraft and helos,AEW helos/aircraft,COBD aircraft.If Ospreys are intended,at huge cost too.Protecting the carrier requires another 4-5 warships and auxiliaries like fleet tankers,etc. Even if the carrier is N-powered,aircraft require fuel,etc.

The sad fact is that our 2 newest subs,barring the Akula-2/Chakra and Arihant SSBN,are 15/18 years "young"! The Foxtrots remarkably served us upto 37 years,which must be some sort of a world record for subs.The age of our U-209s are between 21 to 29 years,Kilos between 23 to 29 years .
The first Scorpene will only be commissioned next year. Unless we acquire a few subs from abroad asap,we will be in a perilous position as China is fast-tracking Pak's 8 Yuan AIP subs which will be able to fire LR Babur cruise missiles with N-warheads. It is going to be a very challenging task for the IN to build/acquire sufficient numbers of both N-subs and conventional subs. The dereliction of duty by AKA and MMS in ignoring the crisis in our sub fleet is unpardonable. It is frankly impossible for India to match China at all,as the Chinese defence budget is twice that of Russia's and three-four times that of India's!

What has to be done on a war footing is to follow the Rafale decision,G-to-G acquisition of readily available subs,both conventional and nuclear so that at any given time we need to have two lines of both conventional AIP subs and two lines of SSBNs and SSN/SSGNs being built.

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 11 May 2015 17:31

IMHO, subs should play a big/bigger role.

However, on the topic of "carrier", the situation just got more complicated. China is signing up for bases all over the IOR and that too at "choke" points India considered to be her area to defend. Current Chinese plans will be to maintain some ships, but in the future she WILL negotiate for placing planes too. And, then IN's puny IOR centric "carrier"s will be of no use.

India needs to, in the very first step, oppose these bases - loudly. even at the expense of trade with China. Modi needs to speak up on this when he visits China and tell them while in their home that this is unacceptable (and perhaps in private consider it hostile).

shaun · Post by **shaun** » 11 May 2015 18:58

Singha wrote:latest reports from nepal claim the 4 x V22 are on the ground following initial two missions.
the 1st one - it lifted only 300kg for unknown reason to some required village
the 2nd one - it took 300kg to same point but returned without landing due to its rotor wash blowing down the roof of a house!

in pics

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 11 May 2015 20:14

More fun

http://m.businessinsider.in/France-coul ... 233543.cms

deejay · Post by **deejay** » 11 May 2015 20:20

^^^ Helicopter or rotor wing operations are a hazard to roofs nearby. Even, Mi 17's can cause such damage and have done such damages in the past.

kmkraoind · Post by **kmkraoind** » 11 May 2015 20:21

NRao wrote:More fun

http://m.businessinsider.in/France-coul ... 233543.cms

Let see how much China cares for Russia. Let China re-sell or gift that back to Russia.

JTull · Post by **JTull** » 11 May 2015 21:16

kmkraoind wrote:
NRao wrote:More fun

http://m.businessinsider.in/France-coul ... 233543.cms
Let see how much China cares for Russia. Let China re-sell or gift that back to Russia.

Maintenance contracts will be a problem, besides re-export may make all warranties void.

Neshant · Post by **Neshant** » 11 May 2015 22:45

maybe India should offer to buy it at a fire sale price.

maintenance costs and parts would cost a fortune however.

arshyam · Post by **arshyam** » 11 May 2015 23:03

^^ Run fast, run far. Our shipyards are under utilized as it is (L&T, Pipavav, etc.)

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 12 May 2015 16:55

A news report in yesterday's Hindu said that an investigation into the engine failures on the IN's MIG-29Ks were due to FOD from the poor state of the Dabolim runway.The runway was being repaired as a result.
Some may remember that when the MIG-29 was first unveiled a couple of decades ago,there was a FOD screen located in the engine intakes,which was later removed. Russian planned ops using unpaved fields/runways in a crisis was the reason for the screen. It is remarkable that two reasons for engine/aircraft losses are due to poor std. of runways and garbage being scattered in close proximity to air bases both mil and civilian (the IAF/AAI have been screaming for years about the failure of civil authorities to do the needful in preventing this). If these two issues are rectified,it will
bring down losses of aircraft/engines considerably,saving hundreds of crores annually.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 12 May 2015 16:59

Dabolim runway is still very rough early may. A320 shook like hell on takeoff.maybe that's why no mig29 seen there Anymore Nd stbf lies abandoned

vishvak · Post by **vishvak** » 12 May 2015 20:41

Well, well, how come runways for Russian fighter jets are apparently different - rough & tough? - than TFTA runways required otherwise. May be 'truism' will help to address this! It is similar to how Western planes have bank of spare parts and apparently better serviceability! Wonder what will it take to create spare banks for each and every aircraft, and for that matter, ships and tanks, so that we don't have to rely on half truths and truism and what not. However, thanks to inspections well done, the runway is well on the way to be TFTA, or a bit close to it.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 13 May 2015 14:20

Pl. don't ridicule the report,which appears authentic,from the same source which earlier reported the problem. In another post,it appears that all 29Ks have been shifted out of Dab.,poss for this reason. The only other naval aircraft operating out of it are the LRMP TU-142 Bears, Do-228s and IL-38 Mays,all props. The 29Ks are also operating out of INS Dega at Vizag. If there was no problem with those aircraft and their engines,it would've pin-pointed the location of the problem.The same engine is being built at home for the MIG-29UGs.If there is a design/manufacturing defect,then the same problem should be experienced with IAF aircraft too.Let's not rush to judgement.Looking through past media reports,it appears that runway work at Goa is a perennial problem.Runway repairs were done in 2013 and 2014! Something smells fishy and rotten in Goa.It remoinds me of the old saying in Goa about it being unable to build a bridge (each time a bridge was built over the Mandovi at Panjim,it collapsed!).

http://www.daijiworld.com/news/news_dis ... ][b]Runway work may hit flights at Goa's Dabolim airport[/b]

Panaji, May 13 (TNN): In a major blow to the next tourism season, flight operations at the international airport at Dabolim will be restricted to just 8 hours a day, for a period of 6 months, to accommodate the Indian Navy's decision to re-carpet the airport's singular runway.
[/quote]

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 13 May 2015 20:41

Not directly related to IN/India/IOR, but a topic to keep an eye on:

China concerned about possible US patrols around islands

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 14 May 2015 10:07

How many BMos missiles make up a "unit"? The DAC decision last evening to refit 6 warships with BMos is v.welcome.Which are the 6 warships,Delhi,Shivalik,or Talwars? Will they also be in an "8" or "16 pack" module as seen on the latest P-15As or will they be fitted in inclined launcher versions (seen on the Rajputs when first tested) as the original Delhi class DDGs will require considerable modification to house them in a VLS module.It may be poss. top fit 4X4 inclined launchers on either beam replacing the 4X4 Urans. The Urans can then be used to replace the SSN-2Ds on some of the Tarantula and Khukri missile corvettes.

Looking at the huge cost and the approx. fig of around $3M a pop,this amount would buy us 150 BMos missiles if the cost is approx. 18cr a round.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp ... 203464.ece

Deals for U.S. howitzers, Russian copters approved

In a late-evening decision on Wednesday, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, cleared major long-pending defence deals, including an Avro replacement programme, M-777 howitzers and Kamov-228 light utility helicopters from Russia.

For the M-777 Ultra-Light Howitzers, the original deal under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme with the U.S. government has been approved for 145 guns worth Rs. 2,900 crore.

The lone bid by Tata-Airbus under the long-delayed Rs. 12,000-crore Avro replacement programme for 56 aircraft has been cleared. While 16 aircraft will come in fly-away condition from the original manufacturer, the remaining 40 will be manufactured in India by Tata under Transfer of Technology (ToT). It has been held up due to single vendor situation.

“It will create the necessary infrastructure in India for aerospace development,” defence ministry officials

A deal for 200-plus Kamov-228 helicopters from Russia as light-utility helicopters (LUH) for the Army and the Air Force has got the go-ahead. Cost and the modalities of the deal will now be negotiated with Russia. The deal will involve 100 percent ToT, defence sources said. The decision for building helicopters in India was announced during the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to India last year.

The DAC has allocated Rs. 30 crore for commencement of “preparatory work” for construction of Indigenous Aircraft Carrier-II. This is in-principle approval for IAC-II for design and evaluation, officials informed.

The Indian Navy will get six additional units of BrahMos cruise missiles for six of its frontline warships worth Rs. 2,700 crore to replace older missiles onboard.

Other deals include installation and operationalisation of telemedicine, onboard Indian Navy ships and establishments, developed by Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) and handed to a private vendor and conversion of two Boeing 777ER aircraft of Air India into VVIP configuration for use by the Prime Minister.

With these decisions all major pending modernisation deals of the armed forces have been cleared, officials added.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 14 May 2015 10:58

so it appears the delhi class might be nearing MLU and would get inclined tube brahmos to replace the Urans.
the urans can be given to Saryu and Kamorta classes.

member_28526 · Post by **member_28526** » 14 May 2015 11:42

Perhaps that is why the Kamorta has not been armed with AShM on commissioning.
Makes sense.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 14 May 2015 12:25

INS Vikrant Launch on May 28 - S.Anandan, The Hindu

India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant , will be undocked on completion of structural work at the Cochin Shipyard on May 28.

“All major equipment has gone into the vessel, which has now acquired the shape of an aircraft carrier, with a finished hull. Barring a bit of ongoing work on the super structure, structural work is all over and the internal compartments have all been welded in,” said a yard official.

Outfitting is steadily progressing at the moment, but a major part of it — including piping, electrical cabling, control system wiring — will be carried out after the vessel is launched, marking the culmination of the third stage of work in the second phase of carrier construction for which a contract was signed between Cochin Shipyard and the Navy in December last year.

The extended first phase of work on the carrier was completed in August 2013 when the carrier had its official launch, but there was a delay in the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) sanctioning money for the second phase, which as per a schedule prepared in 2010 should be over in 2016.

The CCS sanction for the first phase was Rs. 3,261 crore, while the allocation for the critical second phase is Rs. 2,840 crore. The equipment already fitted in will be set to work towards the end of the ongoing phase after which basin trials will commence in 2017 to be on time for delivery in end-2018. The aircraft carrier will displace over 40,000 tonnes at the time of its induction into the Navy.

Contract with Rosoboronexport

While some 14 contracts have been signed with the Russian Rosoboronexport for the carrier’s aviation complex, delivery of major aviation equipment has not begun yet.

The aviation complex is designed by the Nevskoye Design Bureau, as Vikrant will have a complement of Russian-origin MiG 29 K fighter planes operating from its flight deck alongside the indigenously developed Naval LCA (when it receives operational clearance).

Meanwhile, the yard is awaiting clearances from the Directorate of Naval Design (DND) to start installation of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.

“Ironically, obsolescence of equipment already delivered and stacked for sometime could pose a problem towards the end of the second phase when they are set to work,” said an official.

Equipment such as the massive gas turbines, for instance, would have outlived its guarantee period by the time the pre-delivery trials begin, he pointed out.

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 14 May 2015 18:49

Singha wrote:so it appears the delhi class might be nearing MLU and would get inclined tube brahmos to replace the Urans.
the urans can be given to Saryu and Kamorta classes.

This order could be for Project-15B, SSN program or combination.

Somehow I doubt the need to replace Urans when we are still running Termits on Project 16 and Project 15 vessels.

John · Post by **John** » 15 May 2015 01:26

Singha wrote:so it appears the delhi class might be nearing MLU and would get inclined tube brahmos to replace the Urans.
the urans can be given to Saryu and Kamorta classes.

As i mentioned earlier it is unlikely IN order another batch of Uran all those missile are starting to NEOL (order in mid to late 90s) and are likely to be phased away.

I like your idea but sadly without FCR and sub systems neither Saryu or Kamorta can be fitted for Uran or any other ashm missile for that matter and would require a refit to accommodate it.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 15 May 2015 10:01

The report clearly mentions retrofitting BMos to 6 other warships,most likely the first 3 Delhis and 3 others,poss the first Talwars,replacing Klub with BMosThe Urans which are younger than the Termits could be sued on those warships currently using Termits,Tarantulas and Khukris. I think that the Saryus/OPVs/NOPVs have been reserved for Dhanush instead when need be.

Good news in today's media,that the OK has been given for prelim work the 60,000t+ IAC-2/3.the fact that the PLAN is to build 4 new large carriers,2 N-powered the size of a USN supercarrier has spurrd the decision.The report also states that it will take at least a decade before the carrier arrives.This will mean only after 2015.With CSL shortly to launch the IAC-1 (Vikrant),it will be ready to start building new flat tops. Whether the 65K t carrier will be built at CSL or amphibs,etc. there is open to Q. The capabilities of CSL shouldn't be kept idle while it fits out the launched new Vikrant. We should have at least 3 flat top amphibs operational until IAC-2 arrives,built in the next 10 years,which will assist/support the Vik-A and new Vikrant until IAC-2 arrives.

The aircraft of the IAC-2 is still undecided and launch config most probably CATOBAR,propulsion nuclear. Our options are both newer variants of the 29K/35,naval Rafale-both of which are the safest readily available options,the NLCA-which may be too small and not capable enough for post 2015 naval carrier strike ops,naval Flanker or even FGFA variants and the JSF,which should also be available a decade hence. What the IN should do is to design the carrier to operate the largest size of these aircraft ,current and future,along with COBOD/AEW types too,which means size of aircraft lifts,hangar,dimensions of deck should be such that they can operate any type of aircraft which may be developed in the next 2-3 decades. If the UCLASS trials eventually succeed and UCAVs start operating from USN carriers,their size will in fact be smaller than the current naval aircraft.