India Launches New Aircraft Carrier As China Worries Grow

INS Vikrant, whose name is a Sanskrit word for “strong” or “courageous,” is India’s second operational aircraft carrier, joining the Soviet-era INS Vikramaditya that it bought from Russia in 2004 to defend the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal. The new 262-metre ship, designed by the Indian Navy and built at the Cochin shipyard in southern India, was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as part of the country’s celebration of 75 years of independence from British rule. More than just adding to the country’s naval capabilities, Modi emphasized the importance of India now being just one of the few nations with an indigenous carrier program. “It is a historic day and a landmark achievement,” Modi said. “It is an example of the government’s push to make India’s defense sector self-reliant.” The aircraft carrier is the largest warship built in the country and can carry a crew of about 1,600 people and operate a fleet of 30 aircraft, including fighter jets and helicopters, the navy said. More than 75 percent of the components for India’s new aircraft carrier are sourced domestically, with half a dozen major industrial companies and more than 100 smaller firms providing equipment and machinery, according to the Defense Ministry. A six-year delay has caused a sixfold price overrun to 200 billion rupees ($2.5 billion) currently, according to defense experts. The 47,400-tonne warship will be fully operational by the end of 2023 after first undergoing test landings with India’s Russian-made MiG-29K fighter jet. India plans to equip the carrier with more than two dozen new fighters, with the Rafale-M from France’s Dassault and the Boeing-built F/A-18 Block III Super Hornet currently under consideration. Until then it will rely on Russian aircraft on loan from India’s only other carrier, said Rahul Bedi, a defense expert. In recent years, China has expanded its presence in the Indian Ocean, the Western Pacific and beyond. In August, he sailed a navy ship to a Chinese-built port in Sri Lanka despite security concerns from New Delhi about such a port off India’s own coast. Beijing called the ship a research vessel, but it was widely believed to be a dual-purpose spy vessel that India feared could be used to monitor the region. In response to concerns about China’s growing assertiveness, the Indian navy last year sent four warships to Southeast Asia, the South China Sea and the Indo-Pacific for exercises with members of the other “Quad” group of nations – the United States, of Japan and Australia, according to India’s defense ministry. Modi said on Friday that security concerns in the Indo-Pacific region and the Indian Ocean have been ignored for too long. “However, today this area is for us a major defense priority of the country. So we are working in every direction, from increasing the budget for the navy to increasing its capacity,” he said. The vast maritime area has been tense due to China’s disputes with its neighbors including Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Japan and South Korea. There are competing claims to all or part of the strategically vital waterway that contains significant undersea oil and gas deposits. China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy, or PLAN, has been modernizing for more than a decade to become more of a “blue water” force — one capable of operating globally rather than being limited to staying closer to the Chinese mainland, for which air carriers are critical. The PLAN currently has about 355 ships, including submarines, according to the US Department of Defense, which estimates the force will grow to 420 ships by 2025 and 460 ships by 2030. It had two aircraft carriers and in June launched a third believed to be an electromagnetic system like the United States is using on its new aircraft carriers. The Indian Air Force uses the traditional ‘ski jump’ type system to launch its aircraft. India’s fleet now includes two aircraft carriers, 10 destroyers, 12 frigates and 20 corvette ships, according to its navy. India’s oldest aircraft carrier, INS Vikramaditya, was built in the Soviet Union in 1987. It served in the Soviet Navy as Admiral Gorshkov and later in the Russian Navy before being decommissioned in 1996. India bought it in 2004 for $2.35 billion.

title: “India Launches New Aircraft Carrier As China Worries Grow Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-30” author: “Andre Flickinger”

INS Vikrant, whose name is a Sanskrit word for “strong” or “courageous,” is India’s second operational aircraft carrier, joining the Soviet-era INS Vikramaditya that it bought from Russia in 2004 to defend the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal. The new 262-metre ship, designed by the Indian Navy and built at the Cochin shipyard in southern India, was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as part of the country’s celebration of 75 years of independence from British rule. More than just adding to the country’s naval capabilities, Modi emphasized the importance of India now being just one of the few nations with an indigenous carrier program. “It is a historic day and a landmark achievement,” Modi said. “It is an example of the government’s push to make India’s defense sector self-reliant.” The aircraft carrier is the largest warship built in the country and can carry a crew of about 1,600 people and operate a fleet of 30 aircraft, including fighter jets and helicopters, the navy said. More than 75 percent of the components for India’s new aircraft carrier are sourced domestically, with half a dozen major industrial companies and more than 100 smaller firms providing equipment and machinery, according to the Defense Ministry. A six-year delay has caused a sixfold price overrun to 200 billion rupees ($2.5 billion) currently, according to defense experts. The 47,400-tonne warship will be fully operational by the end of 2023 after first undergoing test landings with India’s Russian-made MiG-29K fighter jet. India plans to equip the carrier with more than two dozen new fighters, with the Rafale-M from France’s Dassault and the Boeing-built F/A-18 Block III Super Hornet currently under consideration. Until then it will rely on Russian aircraft on loan from India’s only other carrier, said Rahul Bedi, a defense expert. In recent years, China has expanded its presence in the Indian Ocean, the Western Pacific and beyond. In August, he sailed a navy ship to a Chinese-built port in Sri Lanka despite security concerns from New Delhi about such a port off India’s own coast. Beijing called the ship a research vessel, but it was widely believed to be a dual-purpose spy vessel that India feared could be used to monitor the region. In response to concerns about China’s growing assertiveness, the Indian navy last year sent four warships to Southeast Asia, the South China Sea and the Indo-Pacific for exercises with members of the other “Quad” group of nations – the United States, of Japan and Australia, according to India’s defense ministry. Modi said on Friday that security concerns in the Indo-Pacific region and the Indian Ocean have been ignored for too long. “However, today this area is for us a major defense priority of the country. So we are working in every direction, from increasing the budget for the navy to increasing its capacity,” he said. The vast maritime area has been tense due to China’s disputes with its neighbors including Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Japan and South Korea. There are competing claims to all or part of the strategically vital waterway that contains significant undersea oil and gas deposits. China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy, or PLAN, has been modernizing for more than a decade to become more of a “blue water” force — one capable of operating globally rather than being limited to staying closer to the Chinese mainland, for which air carriers are critical. The PLAN currently has about 355 ships, including submarines, according to the US Department of Defense, which estimates the force will grow to 420 ships by 2025 and 460 ships by 2030. It had two aircraft carriers and in June launched a third believed to be an electromagnetic system like the United States is using on its new aircraft carriers. The Indian Air Force uses the traditional ‘ski jump’ type system to launch its aircraft. India’s fleet now includes two aircraft carriers, 10 destroyers, 12 frigates and 20 corvette ships, according to its navy. India’s oldest aircraft carrier, INS Vikramaditya, was built in the Soviet Union in 1987. It served in the Soviet Navy as Admiral Gorshkov and later in the Russian Navy before being decommissioned in 1996. India bought it in 2004 for $2.35 billion.

title: “India Launches New Aircraft Carrier As China Worries Grow Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-26” author: “Matthew Smythe”

INS Vikrant, whose name is a Sanskrit word for “strong” or “courageous,” is India’s second operational aircraft carrier, joining the Soviet-era INS Vikramaditya that it bought from Russia in 2004 to defend the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal. The new 262-metre ship, designed by the Indian Navy and built at the Cochin shipyard in southern India, was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as part of the country’s celebration of 75 years of independence from British rule. More than just adding to the country’s naval capabilities, Modi emphasized the importance of India now being just one of the few nations with an indigenous carrier program. “It is a historic day and a landmark achievement,” Modi said. “It is an example of the government’s push to make India’s defense sector self-reliant.” The aircraft carrier is the largest warship built in the country and can carry a crew of about 1,600 people and operate a fleet of 30 aircraft, including fighter jets and helicopters, the navy said. More than 75 percent of the components for India’s new aircraft carrier are sourced domestically, with half a dozen major industrial companies and more than 100 smaller firms providing equipment and machinery, according to the Defense Ministry. A six-year delay has caused a sixfold price overrun to 200 billion rupees ($2.5 billion) currently, according to defense experts. The 47,400-tonne warship will be fully operational by the end of 2023 after first undergoing test landings with India’s Russian-made MiG-29K fighter jet. India plans to equip the carrier with more than two dozen new fighters, with the Rafale-M from France’s Dassault and the Boeing-built F/A-18 Block III Super Hornet currently under consideration. Until then it will rely on Russian aircraft on loan from India’s only other carrier, said Rahul Bedi, a defense expert. In recent years, China has expanded its presence in the Indian Ocean, the Western Pacific and beyond. In August, he sailed a navy ship to a Chinese-built port in Sri Lanka despite security concerns from New Delhi about such a port off India’s own coast. Beijing called the ship a research vessel, but it was widely believed to be a dual-purpose spy vessel that India feared could be used to monitor the region. In response to concerns about China’s growing assertiveness, the Indian navy last year sent four warships to Southeast Asia, the South China Sea and the Indo-Pacific for exercises with members of the other “Quad” group of nations – the United States, of Japan and Australia, according to India’s defense ministry. Modi said on Friday that security concerns in the Indo-Pacific region and the Indian Ocean have been ignored for too long. “However, today this area is for us a major defense priority of the country. So we are working in every direction, from increasing the budget for the navy to increasing its capacity,” he said. The vast maritime area has been tense due to China’s disputes with its neighbors including Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Japan and South Korea. There are competing claims to all or part of the strategically vital waterway that contains significant undersea oil and gas deposits. China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy, or PLAN, has been modernizing for more than a decade to become more of a “blue water” force — one capable of operating globally rather than being limited to staying closer to the Chinese mainland, for which air carriers are critical. The PLAN currently has about 355 ships, including submarines, according to the US Department of Defense, which estimates the force will grow to 420 ships by 2025 and 460 ships by 2030. It had two aircraft carriers and in June launched a third believed to be an electromagnetic system like the United States is using on its new aircraft carriers. The Indian Air Force uses the traditional ‘ski jump’ type system to launch its aircraft. India’s fleet now includes two aircraft carriers, 10 destroyers, 12 frigates and 20 corvette ships, according to its navy. India’s oldest aircraft carrier, INS Vikramaditya, was built in the Soviet Union in 1987. It served in the Soviet Navy as Admiral Gorshkov and later in the Russian Navy before being decommissioned in 1996. India bought it in 2004 for $2.35 billion.

title: “India Launches New Aircraft Carrier As China Worries Grow Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-10-22” author: “Robert Smith”

INS Vikrant, whose name is a Sanskrit word for “strong” or “courageous,” is India’s second operational aircraft carrier, joining the Soviet-era INS Vikramaditya that it bought from Russia in 2004 to defend the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal. The new 262-metre ship, designed by the Indian Navy and built at the Cochin shipyard in southern India, was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as part of the country’s celebration of 75 years of independence from British rule. More than just adding to the country’s naval capabilities, Modi emphasized the importance of India now being just one of the few nations with an indigenous carrier program. “It is a historic day and a landmark achievement,” Modi said. “It is an example of the government’s push to make India’s defense sector self-reliant.” The aircraft carrier is the largest warship built in the country and can carry a crew of about 1,600 people and operate a fleet of 30 aircraft, including fighter jets and helicopters, the navy said. More than 75 percent of the components for India’s new aircraft carrier are sourced domestically, with half a dozen major industrial companies and more than 100 smaller firms providing equipment and machinery, according to the Defense Ministry. A six-year delay has caused a sixfold price overrun to 200 billion rupees ($2.5 billion) currently, according to defense experts. The 47,400-tonne warship will be fully operational by the end of 2023 after first undergoing test landings with India’s Russian-made MiG-29K fighter jet. India plans to equip the carrier with more than two dozen new fighters, with the Rafale-M from France’s Dassault and the Boeing-built F/A-18 Block III Super Hornet currently under consideration. Until then it will rely on Russian aircraft on loan from India’s only other carrier, said Rahul Bedi, a defense expert. In recent years, China has expanded its presence in the Indian Ocean, the Western Pacific and beyond. In August, he sailed a navy ship to a Chinese-built port in Sri Lanka despite security concerns from New Delhi about such a port off India’s own coast. Beijing called the ship a research vessel, but it was widely believed to be a dual-purpose spy vessel that India feared could be used to monitor the region. In response to concerns about China’s growing assertiveness, the Indian navy last year sent four warships to Southeast Asia, the South China Sea and the Indo-Pacific for exercises with members of the other “Quad” group of nations – the United States, of Japan and Australia, according to India’s defense ministry. Modi said on Friday that security concerns in the Indo-Pacific region and the Indian Ocean have been ignored for too long. “However, today this area is for us a major defense priority of the country. So we are working in every direction, from increasing the budget for the navy to increasing its capacity,” he said. The vast maritime area has been tense due to China’s disputes with its neighbors including Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Japan and South Korea. There are competing claims to all or part of the strategically vital waterway that contains significant undersea oil and gas deposits. China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy, or PLAN, has been modernizing for more than a decade to become more of a “blue water” force — one capable of operating globally rather than being limited to staying closer to the Chinese mainland, for which air carriers are critical. The PLAN currently has about 355 ships, including submarines, according to the US Department of Defense, which estimates the force will grow to 420 ships by 2025 and 460 ships by 2030. It had two aircraft carriers and in June launched a third believed to be an electromagnetic system like the United States is using on its new aircraft carriers. The Indian Air Force uses the traditional ‘ski jump’ type system to launch its aircraft. India’s fleet now includes two aircraft carriers, 10 destroyers, 12 frigates and 20 corvette ships, according to its navy. India’s oldest aircraft carrier, INS Vikramaditya, was built in the Soviet Union in 1987. It served in the Soviet Navy as Admiral Gorshkov and later in the Russian Navy before being decommissioned in 1996. India bought it in 2004 for $2.35 billion.