Posted on 11/29/2023 5:58:44 PM PST by Cronos
India will build a second indigenous aircraft carrier in a $5 billion purchase to enhance its sea power and counter China's growing presence in its neighborhood.
It would be India's third carrier, alongside the Russian-built INS Vikramaditya and the INS Vikrant, the first variant to be made at home.
The slated addition to the Indian Navy's maritime capability will be crucial to New Delhi's search for greater influence in regional and international waters amid a shifting global power balance and rising tensions around territorial disputes in the Indo-Pacific region.
The new carrier is projected to hold at least 28 fighter jets and helicopters and displace 45,000 tons of water. The Vikrant also displaces 45,000 tons.
The carrier is to be equipped with French-made Rafale jets, a decision reflecting India's ongoing military modernization and partial phasing out of older Soviet- and Russia-made hardware.
Shekhar Sinha, a former vice admiral in India's navy, said New Delhi's investment will help protect the country's vast economic interests in the region and counter any challenges from a regional adversary.
"We are only interested in protecting our economic interests and the security of our sea lanes of communication," Sinha told Newsweek, "Anyone who becomes an adversary by declaring some kind of offensive action against our people, including the army, navy or air force—we should be able to respond."
But the Chinese also have a desire to keep India in its own place while they are on their way to take on the U.S. Navy. That appears to be the intention, though officially they don't say that," Sinha said.
...As of 2023, India had 132 warships, 143 planes and 130 helicopters. The Indian Navy is planning to boost its hull count to 175 ships in the near future, according to India's Deccan Herald, an English-language newspaper.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsweek.com ...
Aging and decrepit grandpa and grandma Han, who increasingly make up the majority of the ChiComm population, shook their canes and cried “foul” at the news.
That’ll look good tooling up the Ganges.
I’m sure it would be an honor for Nikki Haley to be invited to christen the newest ship in her country’s Navy.
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