India to buy Russian aircraft carrier

Dawn ^ | November 05 2003 | AFP

[knighthawk]

MOSCOW, Nov 5: Russia and India plan to sign the contract for India's purchase of the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov within weeks, Interfax reported Russian defence officials as saying on Wednesday.

"All technical and financial issues on the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier have been settled and the contract will be signed by December," the news agency quoted an unnamed official at the Russian defence industry as saying.

"The details of the deal will be clarified during the Moscow visit of an Indian delegation headed by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee," the official said. Vajpayee is to make an official three-day visit to Moscow starting Nov 11, Indian diplomatic sources in the Russian capital said on Monday.

The defence ministry official said the deal would be worth 1.5 billion dollars.

[knighthawk]

Ping

[Ronin]

http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/NAVY/Gorshkov.html

Nothing a CVN would get worked up about.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Read Executive Orders by Tom Clancy to better understand the potential for trouble of this development.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

August 28, 2003: India is paying Russia $550 million to refurbish and upgrade the Russian Kiev class carrier Admiral Gorshkov.

After the three year project is completed, the carrier will enter service in the Indian navy. India will receive the carrier for free, the $550 million repair fee being the sole payment. The 45,000 ton Admiral Gorshkov was withdrawn from service by 1991. Russia could not afford to keep carriers in service after the Cold War ended. India has been negotiating for the last ten years to get one or more of the Kiev class ships. The carrier will go to sea with 24 MiG-29K fighters and six helicopters. India is paying over a billion dollars for fifty MiG-29K aircraft. The carrier will carry Russian made electronics, as well as 12 P-500 Bazalt (SS-N-12) cruise missiles and the four SA-N-9 surface-to-air missile launchers. The ship requires a crew of 1200.

[pepsionice]

There really isn't much of a problem here....with the Admiral Gorsky. You are taking a 3rd carrier....and giving it to the Indian government to run, which has no big background in naval operations. There is little that they can really do with the vessel and I doubt that it is operational more than 5 additional years.

[AppyPappy]

That's a pretty good deal although I'm not so sure those Mig-29's will do so well on that platform.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

June 29, 2003: India and Russia have come to terms on the purchase of the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov. The 45,000 ton carrier is damaged from a fire, and it is thought that three years will be required to get the carrier in shape for operations. The price has not been announced yet. Still under negotiation are terms for the purchase of 24 MiG-29Ks (modified for carrier use) and six Kamov helicopters (for anti-submarine and early-warning duty.) India has several decades of experience with carrier aviation, but India's sole aircraft carrier, the INS Viraat is old and not likely to last past the end of the decade.

[StolarStorm]

Paid for by your outsourcing dollars.

[El Gato]

Nothing a CVN would get worked up about.

But neither Pakistan, nor Red China have a CVN, or any other sort of carrier. They are the ones the Indians are concerned about. Not the US or France(the only nations with CVN) or even Italy, Brazil, Spain, France, Thailand, or the UK, which do operate carrier of various stripes. (Mostly VSTOL, except Brazil, France and of course the US). The Charles de Gaulle, while technically in commission, has shall we say, issues. The Brazilian carrier is ex Clemenceau class. Argentina no longer operates a carrier.

[Centurion2000]

That's a pretty good deal although I'm not so sure those Mig-29's will do so well on that platform.

We'll see if the Indians are willing to learn how to use them there ... of course the learning curve is fatal ot a lot of pilots on the way.

[RogueIsland]

Are we sure that the Russians aren't just offshoring their carrier operations?

[SwinneySwitch]

Yep. I'd run out and buy a carrier too, if I had millions of starving people. /sarcasm

[El Gato]

You are taking a 3rd carrier....and giving it to the Indian government to run, which has no big background in naval operations.

Where do you get that idea. They have more background than any other nation in the region, save Japan, and much more of a sea faring/Naval tradition than the Russians themselves. This would be their second operational carrier, although they've had others in the past as well. The current one is the Viraat (ex HMS Hermes, refitted with ski ramp) which operates Harriers. However she is overdue for replacement, and will probably be decomissioned when the "new" one comes on line.

[El Gato]

The 45,000 ton carrier is damaged from a fire, and it is thought that three years will be required to get the carrier in shape for operations.

That's really no big deal, they always intended to gut him (as the Russians refer to their ships) and rebuild much of him anyway. Unless the engines were involved that is.

[El Gato]

The 45,000 ton carrier is damaged from a fire, and it is thought that three years will be required to get the carrier in shape for operations.

That's really no big deal, they always intended to gut him (as the Russians refer to their ships) and rebuild much of him anyway. Unless the engines were involved that is.

[Billthedrill]

That's what I was thinking too. There aren't a lot of places to get that training, either - and none of them (to my knowledge) feature the MiG-29. Maybe the Russians intend to resurrect their own training facilities for the occasion. Other than that there are going to have to be a lot of very bold Indian pilots. And there aren't a lot of old, bold pilots.

[RussianConservative]

They can intersept China merchant traffic, especially oil, when war finally come...or do americans not seem to comprehend where all this go? Many on FR bitch/moan on China but miss expert Grand Strategy that unfold in front of eyes....observe: Russia sell China blue sea navy weapons to deal with Americans...which China is very far behind...this in turn absorb Chinese assets and pay for Russian rearming...at same time China unable develop lots of own industry for ground forces. Also, Russia sell India over 400 T-90 tanks and other equipment...you really think it for Pakistan? Hugh. Also Russia arm Vietnam and report of Russian businessmen offer weapons to S.Korea and Taiwan (to include subs)....all this while further arming Khazikstan, securing Northern Alliance in Afghanistan and arm India with ships to intercept Chinese 30% oil it has to import. Russia also do joint maneuver with S.Korea and Japan...get the point?

[Consort]

[Centurion2000]

Maybe the Russians intend to resurrect their own training facilities for the occasion.

The Russians used the fighters made by Yakolev for air/sea operations (Yak-36 I think) and Kamov helicopters for ASW.

I didn't think anyone used a Mig-29 for a carrier plane.
Of course maybe the Russians are going to make a boatload (forgive the pun) of money on residual stuff for this ship like ammunition and training ...