15.5.15

INS Vishal


India has finally set the ball rolling for the construction of its largest-ever warship, the 65,000-tonne aircraft carrier INS Vishal.
Just before PM Narendra Modi left for China, the Manohar Parrikar led DAC cleared a flurry of long-pending projects for ultra-light howitzers, medium-transport aircraft, light utility helicopters worth over Rs.25,000 crore, out of which a minor amount of Rs.30 crore was sidelined for the indigenous aircraft carrier-II (IAC-II). But its potential is huge, and very significant for a country that is vying with China for the same strategic space in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
Carrier battle groups are the final word in raw power projection around the globe, capable of travelling 600 nautical miles a day with their supersonic fighters and missiles as well as accompanying destroyers, frigates and submarines. Officials said there were three main reasons for the DAC's green signal to the commencement of work for INS Vishal, which is likely to have nuclear propulsion for greater endurance as well as CATOBAR (catapult assisted take-off but arrested recovery) configuration for launching fighters as well as heavier aircraft. All Indian carriers till now have had angled ski jumps for fighters to take off under their own power in STOBAR (short take-off but arrested recovery) operations, which limits operations to only fighters like MiG-29Ks.
The first obviously is the increasing presence of the Chinese Navy in the IOR, coupled with its assiduous at tempts to establish logistical bases in the region. “After inducting its first carrier Liaoning in 2012, China is building four carriers, two conventional and two nuclear-powered. The latter will be over 90,000-tonne super carriers like the American Nimitz class ones,“ said an officer.
Two, the 56-year-old INS Viraat will retire early next year, leaving India with only one operational aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya. The 40,000-tonne IAC-I or INS Vikrant, being built at Cochin Shipyard, will be ready for induction only by 2018-2019. “It will take well over a decade to build INS Vishal. Its size, propulsion, its aircraft etc will have to be finalized before the construction can actually begin,“ he added.

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