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| India-Pakistan |
| Modi dedicates INS Vikramaditya to the nation |
| 2014-06-15 |
| Inidan Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday dedicated INS Vikramaditya, the largest and most powerful aircraft carrier inducted into the Indian Navy, to the nation, terming it an âimportant day for our nationâ. A tweet from the Prime Ministerâs Office quoted Modi as saying: âWe need to give immense importance to latest technology. This will help the nation.â He also emphasised that India must be âself-sufficientâ and manufacturing the defence equipment. âWhy should we import defence equipment? We must be self-sufficient. Why canât we send our defence equipment to other nations,â Modi tweeted. The 44,500-tonne INS Vikramaditya, procured from Russia, is one of the newest acquisitions of the Indian Navy and the most powerful symbol of its military reach. It was commissioned by then defence minister A.K. Antony last November at Russiaâs Sevmash shipyard. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #28 The Navy had to abort plans to showcase take-off and landing of the fighters on the Russian-made aircraft carrier due to turbulent sea conditions. The swell was 3.5-metres high due to a cyclonic storm in the Arabian Sea and the focsle (forward part of a ship) of warships accompanying the carrier could be seen bobbing up and down several feet, a senior Navy officer said. Authorising MiG-29K manoeuvres in the prevailing conditions would have amounted to violation of standard operating procedures, he said. The PMO on Saturday had said Modi witnessed a three-hour long breathtaking display of naval capabilities onboard the 44,500-tonne warship amid heavy rain. The government official said the PMO wanted to know the exact nature of difficulty faced by the navy in operating the ship-borne fighters from the deck. The PMO was also not too happy with pudgy and rotund personnel, including some officers, onboard, he added. The Navy officer said some of the personnel needed to emulate Navy chief Admiral Robin Dhowan, who is fitter than officers half his age. Modi and Dhowan had appeared to hit it off on the warship, with the navy chief explaining every manoeuvre to the PM. Modi witnessed MiG-29K fighters performing two overshoots (touch-and-go missions) on the flight deck. Western Fleet commander Rear Admiral Anil Chawla was standing on the warships bridge (the part of a vessel from where its movement is controlled) and personally overseeing every manoeuvre. Navy pilots have carried out more than 100 take-offs and an equal number of landings on the $2.33-billion carrier in recent months. The Navy could have overcome the sea conditions by diverting the course of the warship. But it had no window to do so as the PM was on a tight schedule, said another senior officer. We did our best in the available time and sea conditions. Moreover, safety cannot be compromised when the PM is onboard, he stressed. The officer added that the navy would have unquestionably pushed the envelope had the carrier been on an operational deployment, but safety couldnt be overlooked during a display for the PM. There was a possibility of launching fighters from the carrier, but recovering them with arrestor wires would have been highly risky due to the sea conditions. |
| Posted by: Glimble Hatrack7059 2014-06-15 22:36 |
| #27 Formerly the Admiral Gorskov I knew it back when it was the Baku. It, like the rest of the Soviet navy, had not been treated well. I don't think the time in lay-up helped any. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2014-06-15 21:26 |
| #26 the takeoff method also reduces the combat load, fuel load (and thus combat radius, unless they have tankers) of the airwing. Plus - having a carrier and successfully operating it in blue water for extended periods are two different matters. Much of the "magic" of the USN is logistics and operational excellence. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2014-06-15 20:17 |
| #25 Barbara - look closely - unlike CVN's, no catapult. From Wiki: "For take-off of fixed wing aircraft, Admiral Kuznetsov uses a ski-jump at the end of her deck. On take-off aircraft accelerate toward and up the ski-jump using their afterburners. This results in the aircraft leaving the deck at a higher angle and elevation than on an aircraft carrier with a flat deck and catapults. The ski-jump take-off is less demanding on the pilot, since the acceleration is lower, but results in a clearance speed of only 120140 km/h (7585 mph) requiring an aircraft design which will not stall at those speeds." |
| Posted by: Uncle Phester 2014-06-15 18:36 |
| #24 but it appears a bow landing approach would require some serious talent. You just need to come in at a much steeper angle than usual. Tangent to the curve, and all that. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2014-06-15 15:04 |
| #23 And still a step up from the Harrier jump jets the Indian navy operates. |
| Posted by: John Frum 2014-06-15 14:49 |
| #22 The air wing was part of the carrier deal. The Su-30 would have been more potent but the carrier isn't large enough for a decent sized air wing of Sukhois. Hence the Mig -29ks. |
| Posted by: John Frum 2014-06-15 14:48 |
| #21 India is buying 126 Rafales for its Air Force. None for the Navy though. I never understood that. Did |
| Posted by: Squinty 2014-06-15 14:10 |
| #20 India is buying 126 Rafales for its Air Force. None for the Navy though. |
| Posted by: John Frum 2014-06-15 13:48 |
| #19 MiG-29K; not the best choice. The French Rafale would have done better at force projection. |
| Posted by: Squinty 2014-06-15 13:45 |
| #18 A few years ago... |
| Posted by: John Frum 2014-06-15 13:38 |
| #17 I's sure it's some sort of design feature, ski-jump, etc, but it appears a bow landing approach would require some serious talent. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2014-06-15 13:37 |
| #16 Formerly the Admiral Gorskov |
| Posted by: John Frum 2014-06-15 13:35 |
| #15 Shipman nailed it. Russian-influenced design. Gas-turbine for power. And yes, Ship, those appear to be for the two elevators. Properly seasoned mahogany might not result in such dramatic deck warpage Heh. Seriously, there are a few issues with that deck. She's either seen some hard use, or the Russians weren't enamored with using more durable steel. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2014-06-15 13:30 |
#14 The India carrier Viraat, formerly the British HMS Hermes, with its ski jump |
| Posted by: John Frum 2014-06-15 13:29 |
| #13 The British, who ironically invented the steam catapult, developed the ski jump ramp for their non catapult equipped carriers. |
| Posted by: John Frum 2014-06-15 13:24 |
#12  The old Vikrant awaiting the scrapyard. It was former Viceroy Lord Mountbatten who arranged the sale of the incomplete centaur class carrier to India in 1957 |
| Posted by: John Frum 2014-06-15 13:20 |
#11 Another of the new Vikrant. The old Vikrant is offshore the Dharukana ship breaking yard awaiting high tide to be beached and broken up.  |
| Posted by: John Frum 2014-06-15 13:18 |
| #10 Poor curing. The Russians have little experience with tropical softwood decking. It happens. They have turned their inexperience to a good use tho. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2014-06-15 13:09 |
| #9 I don't get one end of an aircraft carrier being curled up. All the others I've seen have both ends flat. Can anyone who has a clue about this explain? |
| Posted by: Barbara 2014-06-15 12:56 |
| #8 Whoa, wait a second, is that a shipyard artifice or a folding elevator? |
| Posted by: Shipman 2014-06-15 12:54 |
| #7 Odd angle there John Frum, got one from directly in front of the bow? |
| Posted by: Shipman 2014-06-15 12:53 |
#6 Meanwhile in Cochin shipyard, the Vikrant takes shape |
| Posted by: John Frum 2014-06-15 12:42 |
| #5 Properly seasoned mahogany might not result in such dramatic deck warpage. If I'm missing something.....Pappy, please pile on. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2014-06-15 12:20 |
| #4 1st guy gonna catch the 3rd wire? Looks high. Still this shit ain't easy from what I hear. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2014-06-15 12:13 |
#3  |
| Posted by: John Frum 2014-06-15 12:09 |
#2   |
| Posted by: John Frum 2014-06-15 11:56 |
#1    |
| Posted by: John Frum 2014-06-15 11:51 |