INS Vikrant Aircraft Carrier (IAC)

[akshay m]

found the pic in bharathrakshak,

 

[Shaitan]

I dont know if this is a part of the Vikrant.

 

[aditya g]

SCI = shipping corporation of India

I dont know if this is a part of the Vikrant.

 

[akshay m]

Indigenous Aircraft Carrier INS Vikrant, being built by Cochin Shipyard, to be ready by 2018.:
spokesperson,ministry of defense

 

[archie]

2018 Induction into Navy? it looks soooooooo long a time. 2016 already seemed long . Hope its up to sea trials soon..

 

[right wing]

It has completed 95% of it hull work,will be undocked in may...wud go to sea trials beginning 2016,n even may make a mark in 16 presidential review,but induction wud nt be before 18

 

[Lions Of Punjab]

INS Vikrant set to undock next month

SOURCE: Tribune News Service



India is working on two separate projects to ramp up sea-borne aircraft carriers capability. The under construction indigenous 40,000 tonne INS Vikrant is slated to 'undock' from its building pontoon at Kochi next month, while India's biggest naval warship and aircraft carrier, the INS Vikramaditya, is under a minor 're-fit' to complete its Close-In Warfare System (CIWS), a protection from incoming enemy missiles.

Vice Admiral Ashok Subedar, Controller, Warship Production and Acquisition, told the media today, "In May this we will undock the INS Vikrant. As much as 95 per cent of its hull is complete as is 22,000 tonnes of steel structure. The shafting and propeller work is in last stages".Despite challenges, all efforts are being made to meet the December 2018 deadline set by the Cabinet Committee on Security for commission of the INS Vikrant. After the undocking it will undergo harbour trials, sea trials followed by on-deck flight trials, Vice Admiral Subedar said.

He was speaking to the media to announce the sea launch of the first of the set-of-four new warships. It is targeted for induction in 2018 and the remaining three ships shall follow at the intervals of two years each.Talking about INS Vikramaditya, inducted in November 2013, the Vice Admiral said Israeli Barak missile is being installed on the ship at its home base Karwar, south of Goa.Navy was originally looking at two options, either the Israeli Barak or the Russian Shitil missiles.

A Barak-missile launch will be taken from one of warships that is being decommissioned. Sources said the INS Godavari, which had been given a Barak launch system some 10 years ago, has a fully functional system that is being put on the aircraft carrier. The Godavari is 32 years old and is set for decommissioning."Fitting the Barak is a complex procedure which entails cutting through the deck. A period of some four months has been factored in for this", sources said.

The warship could carry up to 32 or 48 LR-SAMs.A CIWS is needed as the last protection layer against incoming missiles as well as an aircraft. It is ship's own air defence system. When deployed, a carrier does not float alone but moves around with a small flotilla of warships. The LR-SAMs is one part of the CIWS and it includes other guns on the deck and an electronic warfare suite.On being asked about the next aircraft carrier, dubbed as the indigenous aircraft carrier-2 (IAC-2), Vice Admiral Subedar said the Naval design bureau would consider both the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) which enables a fighter jet to take-off from the deck of the carrier and the Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) which enables its landing. India is trying to get the technology from the US.

INS Vikrant set to undock next month | idrw.org

 

[Shaitan]

INS Vikrant update

 

[cobra commando]

INS Vikrant Makes Progress at Cochin Shipyard

 

[cobra commando]

INS Vikrant launch on May 28

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Wish to have some photos when launched ..

INS Vikrant launch on May 28

 

[akshay m]

CSL offers to build another aircraft carrier
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/csl-offers-to-build-another-aircraft-carrier/article7212380.ece

Amidst report of the Defence Acquisition Council granting Rs.30 crore to the Indian Navy to start working on a second indigenous aircraft carrier, it has emerged that Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), which is constructing the first indigenous carrier INS Vikrant, has urged the Navy to place an order with it for a follow-on carrier of Vikrant-class.

Vikrant is set for undocking from CSL’s building bay later this month.

CSL assurance

The CSL is learnt to have assured the Navy in end-2014 that in case a follow-on order for a carrier is placed, it would be able to deliver the vessel in just four years from the time of delivery of INS Vikrant, scheduled to take place in 2018. The Navy has not responded to the proposal yet. “A follow-on carrier would be advantageous for the Navy, as there would be no time lost on detailed design, development of specialised material, technology, honing of skills of the workforce and so on. Since the Navy desires to operate two carrier task forces at any given time, it would be a good option to exercise,” said a CSL official.

“The carrier INS Viraat is retiring [next year] and the refurbished 45,000-tonne INS Vikramaditya [undergoing a short refit now] will be joined by the 40,000-tonne INS Vikrant a few years from now. Should there be a second Vikrant-class carrier with the same specifications and equipment, it could be operationalised in early or mid-2020s. It makes perfect sense as two carriers would always be operational even as the third remained under refit,” he added.

The lead time taken for the construction of INS Vikrant was in sync with the global average of nine years, said another official. “The follow-on vessels of a class always take much shorter periods to deliver,” he contended. However, a senior Navy officer told The Hindu that the force had firmed up the plans to have a super carrier displacing 65,000 tonnes after Vikrant. It would most likely be nuclear-propelled, with an electromagnetic aircraft launch system, widely referred to as EMALS catapult, and would embark a whole new fleet of naval fighters, he said. CSL’s proposed larger dry-dock capable of taking on ships of any size would be ready by the time the Navy floats the tender for a second carrier.

i hope they see the sense in this, instead of going for a 65,000 tonne carrier wild goose chase,
perhaps with conventional cats (they could have tried to reverse engineer the old cats on the vikrant ,with improvements, off course, they had decades to do this if they had the foresight, they can still do it),( had a pic of it which i seem to have lost)
what would the chinese have done??? if they had a CATOBAR carrier
i would take an indigenous (reverse engineered from the vikrant's cats) steam cats (and safer too, in case they hit us with sanctions) any day as compared to EMALS form the americans (i still do not think they will give it, just my opnion)

and perhaps with an increase in displacement from 40000 to 50000 tonnes.

any way developing an indigeonus steam catapult should still be done, as a safety catch.
just in case the americans refuse to give us cats after we have built a hull for a 65000 tonne CATOBAR carrier

one has to learn crawl, and walk before they try to run

 

[grampiguy]

A bigger issue that hampers the INS Vishal development is the Indian Navy's expectation for getting EMALS, AAG and nuclear propulsion. Wouldn't it be better to build one without these three technologies?? A carrier with 85,000 ton full load deadweight with gas-turbines and steam catapults will be a better idea before going for the gold plated ones. Cheaper and better option as a stepping stone to the future.

The building of 40,000 ton Juan Carlos LHDs would be similar to INS Vikrant class so why not build them than going again for this under-capacity carrier??

 

[rohit b3]

A bigger issue that hampers the INS Vishal development is the Indian Navy's expectation for getting EMALS, AAG and nuclear propulsion. Wouldn't it be better to build one without these three technologies?? A carrier with 85,000 ton full load deadweight with gas-turbines and steam catapults will be a better idea before going for the gold plated ones. Cheaper and better option as a stepping stone to the future.

The building of 40,000 ton Juan Carlos LHDs would be similar to INS Vikrant class so why not build them than going again for this under-capacity carrier??

They are going for EMALS and Nuke propulsion cause they found it feasible. But im sure it will take a really long time, around 2030, till its ready. Construction wont start before 2020.

The best option, like i mentioned before in one of my earlier post, and now CSL too recommends that, is going for another 40,000 Vikrant Class Carrier. CSL's construction yard will lie empty from next month, after Vikrant is undocked and if ordered now they can start the construction within months.

Going for a 85,000 Carrier now too will require a new design which will take several years. IN had a plan to operate 3 Carriers by 2020, which can be fulfilled by a second 40,000+ Vikrant Class, while they can take their time to construct Vishal till 2030. They are working on Vishal's design for a couple of years now.

Im sure India's Economy will support operating 4 Carriers as of 2030. China will definitely be having about 5 Carriers by that period.

Juan Carlos is 26,000 tons. And anyways India's LHD programme will still take a while.

 

[Srinivas_K]

May be we should mix EMALs with STOBAR like the Russians !

 

[grampiguy]

May be we should mix EMALs with STOBAR like the Russians !

Will it work?? If both could be combined, that would be fabulous..Then one could deploy all of his capable aircraft MiG-29K, LCA-N, Rafale-M etc with heavy AEW&C aircraft.

Anyone with technological and design background can help here???

 

[Srinivas_K]

Will it work?? If both could be combined, that would be fabulous..Then one could deploy all of his capable aircraft MiG-29K, LCA-N, Rafale-M etc with heavy AEW&C aircraft.

Anyone with technological and design background can help here???

Russians are designing a 100000 ton carrier with 2 Emals and 2 STOBAR take off facilities.

 

[The enlightened]

May be we should mix EMALs with STOBAR like the Russians !

The whole point of having a STOBAR is that it saves costs and complexity (tremendously). Also,nobody apart from the US have any catapult technology. Maybe the British. When you have access to EMALS, why would you want a ski-jump?

 

[Srinivas_K]

The whole point of having a STOBAR is that it saves costs and complexity (tremendously). Also,nobody apart from the US have any catapult technology. Maybe the British. When you have access to EMALS, why would you want a ski-jump?

Just in case the US tries to do a U-Turn then Aircraft carrier will not become obsolete !

 

[sorcerer]

India's New Aircraft Carrier May Face Further Delays

India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, will be re-launched next week according to local media reports.

The vessel was officially launched in August 2013 with the completion of phase I of construction. The re-launch on May 28 at Cochin Shipyard Limited in Kochi will mark the successful completion of the most critical stage of phase II.


“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,” a shipyard official was quoted as saying.

Additionally, The Hindu notes that “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.”

India’s Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) program encountered multiple delays over the last few years with reported budget overruns as high as $4 billion. In July 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to accelerate construction and allocated approximately $3.1 billion towards the completion of the carrier.

Five years behind schedule, the 400-ton INS Vikrant is supposed to begin sea-trials in 2017 and should be inducted into the Indian Navy by late 2018. However, The Hindu reports that that despite contractual agreements over the construction of carrier’s aviation complex have been signed with Russian state-owned Rosoboronexport corporation “delivery of major aviation equipment has not begun yet.” This could point to a further delay.

With a length of 260 meters and breadth of 60 meters, the INS Vikrant is expected to carry 36 fixed-wing aircraft including the Russian-made MiG-29 K and the yet-to-be-inducted indigenously-produced Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), Tejas. Additionally, it will carry up to ten Kamov Ka-31 or Westland Sea King Helicopters.

The carrier will feature a bulky ski-jump assisted short-take off but arrested recovery (STOBAR) system, which, as my colleague Ankit Panda has noted, is only in use on Russian and Chinese carriers and reduces the range and the armament of aircraft launched, in comparison to jets launched with the more complex Catapult-Assisted Take-Off But Arrested Recovery (CATOBAR) launch system used by other navies.

The carrier will be powered by four massive American LM2500 gas turbines. However, this is where additional delays could arise. “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,” the shipyard official told The Hindu.

Last week, the Indian government also approved ”commencement of preparatory work for construction of Indian Aircraft Carrier 2,” according to local media. The proposed 65,000 ton INS Vishal will be the second carrier of the Vikrant-class

In February 2015, retired Indian rear admiral Ravi Vohra was quoted as saying that India’s ultimate goal is the eventual establishment of a five-carrier fleet, comprising a mix of large and small carriers.

http://thediplomat.com/2015/05/indias-new-aircraft-carrier-may-face-further-delays/