India Commsions Aircraft Carrier INS Vikramaditya

Vikramaditya means in Sanskrit, "Brave as the Sun"

Insignia


Specefications





South Indian Food


Mig-29K

All you need to know about Vikramaditya

The 44,500 tonne warship with a length of 284m will have MiG-29K naval combat aircraft along with Kamov 31 and Kamov 28 anti-submarine warfare and maritime surveillance helicopters.

The MiG 29-Ks will provide a significant boost to Indian Navy with their range of over 700 nautical miles, extendable to over 1,900 nautical miles, with mid-air refuelling, and an array of weapons like anti-ship missiles, beyond visual range air-to- air missiles and guided bombs and rockets.

To accommodate MiG 29 K fighters, a new 14 degree Ski jump was set up and strengthening of arresting gear area and runway was carried out. The steel work for carrying out structural modification on flight deck amounted to over 2500T

The carrier was finally retrofitted and upgraded at the cost of $ 2.3 billion.

EDIT : can someone please fix the links , i can never get them right

reply to post by maddy21


Awesome! I really like our indian allies :p so it's great to see their upgrading military strength to help stabilize the region through posturing, not bombing

here are the pics you posted, i just uploaded em to tinypic.com and used the IMG tag


Pic of the MIG's that will be deployed


Docked


Indian nomnoms


Insignia


Specs



Hope this helps, also if you do get your original post fixed pls contact me and i'll edit this if u wish!

Nice. I like the "angled ski jump" idea, at the end of the run-way, and I am a fan in general of MIG-29s. What intrigues me the most is how efficient these new ships are, and how they're able to operate them on fewer troops than previously used.

Cooks without hairnets ?

reply to post by Divine Strake


The ski-jump design (known as a STOBAR) is great for allowing smaller ships to launch fixed wing aircraft. Not so much for things like weapons load and fuel however. A good example is the Liaoning. If they launch a full armed J-15, then the combat radius is a mere 75 miles. If they launch fully fueled, then they can carry about a quarter or less of their max weapons load. In some cases they can only carry two ASMs, and two air to air missiles.

wouldn't it be cute if to celebrate the commission of this new aircraft carrier by having a US carrier escort it out to sea for the first time.

Then the captain of the US carrier can call over to the captain of the indian carrier just as he heads off to do real aircraft carrier work and say " one day you're going to grow up and be a real aircraft carrier just like me." ANd then the indain aircraft carrier will say " are you sure because I feel like all those other big boy aircraft carriers are all laughing at me." The the US carrier responds. "No not yet, they will laugh at you when your mig 29 fails to launch and falls into the ocean."

Then the people on shore will remark "oh look there goes the tug boat for the us aircarft carrier." why is it continuing to head out to sea?

reply to post by BASSPLYR


Todays war is a 5th generation war, it fought economically and in the shadows , there is little place for large war machines .. except for power projection .. the 100k ton carriers will most likely never see war , and bombing alquida tents with an 100k ton carrier's air group is let me say ... waste of resources

reply to post by maddy21


Yep looks like they went real economical on this boat. You are right. So economical in fact that they really don't power project anything. What a few sorties from the carrier with mixed results. I'll keep my faith in the US Carrier concept. Which has been war...with much success, and will see war again...probably with the same results. I'm pretty sure fighters from US Carriers have bombed the begeezus out of plenty more than just tents.

reply to post by BASSPLYR


A carrier isn't ONLY about projecting power. It allows force mobility, and you to be able to launch strikes without land bases.

A Nimitz isn't the only viable or valuable carrier out there. Far from it in fact. Smaller carriers have advantages over them, and can be used to do the same thing a Nimitz does, but are cheaper to build, operate, and maintain. They don't need expensive specialized facilities like a Nimitz either.

A steam catapult system is a very expensive and highly complex system, to not only build and get out to sea, but also to maintain. A great many factors are involved in keeping a catapult system properly aligned, maintained, lubricated et al...both in the yards and out at sea.

What is often not told to the public, but known in the trades, is that the Soviets for all their Super Power status..could not build and maintain a Steam Catapult System. It was just to much for them.

Think through carefully what that means and implies..not just about carriers..but the Super Power status as well.

Some of you people have been had...and it continues today.

Even the US Navy is attempting to simplify the catapult system by going to the EMALS system of launching planes. For we can most certainly build the ski ramps but find them wanting for our mission requirements.

I also do not know if many of you are aware..but the US Navy often launches their aircraft from the steam catapults in a condition light on fuel but heavy on ordinance and quickly rendevous with a tanker once airborne and gas up for the long trips. This is all factored into the mission parameters.
That they can do this with more expedience on a capult system verses a ski ramp is a telling difference and the very reason the US Navy desires a catapult verses a ski ramp.

The other thing which is rapidly going to change our Blue Water navy is unmanned aircraft. These have already been tried onboard..not only to be launched and recovered from catapults and arresting gear. but also below decks to see how they can be maintained and handled. Other nations are examining this technology for just such applications. For an unmanned aircraft can be made lighter and with more range/distance capability since it does not have to carry all the human support gear to weigh it down. This human support gear takes up alot of weight and space on most aircraft.

A Country builds the Ships they can afford. This means not only to build but to run and maintain. The Indian navy as well as other countries fit this bill. For now they have chosen the Ski ramp as it meets their requirements at their costs..and skill/knowledgeability availablility.

I am wondering if in the future when the bugs and costs are operationally worked out of the EMALS..if more countries will choose this route. I am certain that many nations and their Navys are looking at this system and keeping tabs on it for their potential use.

Just some additional informations for which man of the readers may not be aware.

Thanks,
Orangetom



Added to this post in Post Script mode.

The photo above of the Indian Nomoms is not taken onboard in the galley. I know this by the light coming through the windows. You would never have such windows on a combat ship. Shipboard lighting is more simply and reliably done and with safety also in mind. Also the workers are not in uniforms.
This was taken at an on shore land factory and probably civilian producing these foods.