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The Russian refit of their former Gorshkov VSTOL carrier into the STOBAR Indian Aircraft Carrier Virkamaditya is complete and the vessel has been launched for sea trials. INS VIKRAMADITYA LAUNCHED FOR SEA TRIALS Originally the Indian Navy purchased a full wing of new Mig-29K aircraft from Riussia for 1.5 billion (USD) which included the refitting of this 1980s carrier. However cost overruns ensued and ultimately after months of work stoppage, the Russians and Indians agreed to a complete cost for the carrier and the aircraft for 2.8 billion (USD), still a low price. The Virkamaditya is now launched and in...

I get a LOT of questions about AEGIS systems and how the other navies of the world are stacking up in their development efforts, and purchasing efforts (because four other countries have purchased the technology from us) to match our US Navy's outstanding capabilities. So, I created a site that presents and analyzes the various vessels out there. Hope the FReeper military community and others who may be interested, enjoy it. Just click on the linked logo below: This site is meant to go along with my: World Wide Aircraft Carriers Site

THE RISING SEA DRAGON IN ASIA - 2007 UPDATE By Jeff Head - Last Update: February 24, 2007 Throughout 2006 and into 2007 the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has continued its unprecedented modernization and buildup, adding two entirely new classes of major combatant warships to its inventory, along with the other twelve new classes they have been working on. Large numbers of new guided missile destroyers, guided missile frigates, fast attack craft, very modern and quiet diesel/electric attack submarines, nuclear attack submarines, nuclear ballistic missile submarines, logisitic support craft, amphibious assault craft, and the infrastructure and aircraft to...

Note: Click on any of the pictures in this report for a larger image. Over the 2005 Labor Day weekend we drove from Idaho to Bremerton, WA to visit my daughter and son-in-law (active duty US Navy) and our two grandsons. A secondary reason was to take a look at the US Navy reserve fleet there in Bremerton and to see any current US Navy vessels in the yards. The trip over was very beautiful and pleasant. There is a lot of very beuatiful scenary between Idaho and Washington. Here are some pictures of some of that scenary. Once we...

Is China building a carrier? By Yihong Chang JDW Correspondent & Andrew Koch JDW Bureau Chief Hong Kong & Washington, DC Chinese shipyard workers have been repairing a badly damaged ex-Russian aircraft carrier and have repainted it with the country's military markings, raising the question once again of whether China is pursuing longer-term plans to field its first carrier. In the latest developments, images show that workers at the Chinese Dalian Shipyard have repainted the ex-Russian Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier Varyag with the markings and colour scheme of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy (PLAN). Additional new photographs show that other...

The PLAN is readying the former Russian carrier Varyag for something. These pictures show the exterior painting now being completed in the standard PLAN surface combatant colors, with the superstructure preparing to be painted. They have been working on the project in their naval shipyards for over two year now.