INS Vikramaditya

Contents• Introduction• History• Contract Details• Price Escalation• Review in Price• Features• Crew Training• Basing• Sea Trials• Sea Trials Failure• Repair After Boiler Room Accident & Resumption of Sea Trials• References

Introduction• Under a  contract signed in January 2004, Russia is to deliver to the

Indian Navy its decommissioned 44,570-tonne aircraft carrier, Admiral Gorshkov (Project 11430), after refurbishing.

• At the time of contract signing, press reports linked the Gorshkov deal to India's desire to lease a nuclear submarine from Russia.

• The Gorshkov is to be inducted into the Indian Navy as INS Vikramaditya, as a replacement for India's INS Viraat, which is now 50 years old.

• The contract was initially valued at $1.5 billion, with $964 billion earmarked for Gorshkov refurbishment and $536 million for the complement of 16 MiG-29K fighter aircraft on board.

• The ship was to be delivered by 2008.• The ship is currently undergoing sea and user trials. It is expected to

be commissioned into the Indian Navy in late 2013.

History• The Admiral Gorshkov was laid down in 1978 at the

Nikolayev South shipyard in Ukraine, launched in 1982, and commissioned with the Soviet Navy in 1987 as Baku.

• It was renamed after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

• In 1994, following a boiler room explosion, the Admiral Gorshkov sat in dock for a year for repairs. After a brief return to service in 1995, she was finally withdrawn from service in 1996 and put up for sale.

Contract Details• The contract covers complete overhaul of the ship, which  had remained

docked at the Sevmash shipyard in northern Russia for the past 12 years, fitting a ski jump take off, and equipping it with modern weaponry, including MiG-29K Fulcrum aircraft and Ka-27 Helix-A and Ka-31 Helix-B anti-submarine helicopters.

• At the time of initial contract signing, it was envisaged that following refit the carrier would remain seaworthy for 30 years. In April 2012, Vice- Admiral Ganesh Mahadevan, Chief of Material, IN, told the press that the warship would be 90% new with a life of 40 years.

• The revised contract envisages changing the entire length of cables/wiring running into thousands of kilometres; delivering infrastructure machinery to support repairs and maintenance in Indian docks; training of personnel from Indian docks and personnel on board the aircraft carrier; Ten years of spare parts from the time the carrier is delivered to be handed over along with the vessel; repair and technical detail documents to support maintenance; and pilot training/trials comes as part of the package.

Price Escalation• In early December 2009, during the visit of Prime Minister Manmohan

Singh to Russia, it was reported that the two countries have reached an agreement on the new price for the ship. However, the amount was not revealed.

• In mid December, quoting Strategic defense magazine, IANS reported that the price had been finalized at $2.3 billion with Russia agreeing to install some additional onboard equipment as requested by India. The price was fixed under pressure from the PM's office before Manmohan Singh's visit to Russia, in order to maintain the strategic ties between the two countries. 

• Old Price; $974 million• New Price: $2.33 billion• The price covers the refurbishment and trials, as well as includes $85

million for a complete set of blueprints that will allow the Navy to carry out repairs at Indian shipyards.

Review In Price• In early 2008, Russia claimed it underestimated the scale and the cost of the

modernization and said it would be able to deliver the ship in 2012 and at an additional cost of $1.2 billion.

• India termed the cost escalation exorbitant. After protracted negotiations, in February 2008 India agreed to pay an additional $800 million for the retrofit. 

• In November 2008, shortly after the Russian nuclear submarine Nerpa met with an accident, Russia demanded an additional $2 billion for the ship, instead of $1.2 billion.

• "Construction of the ship will be completed in 2010 and tests will start in 2011, while in 2012 it will be transferred to the Indian Navy," said the director of Sevmash shipyard, Nikolai Kalistratov.

• He, however, stressed that the ship would be handed over to Delhi only if it coughed up the additional money. 

Displacement   44,570 ton

 Deck   273m, 14 degrees Ski jump

 Beam  51m

 Aircraft complement  20 MiG-29 fighters and up to eight Kamov Ka-28/Ka-31 anti submarine helicopters

 Propulsion      4 Shaft Steam Turbines generating total of 140,000 hp

 Range  4,000 nm

 Endurance  13,500 nm at 18 kts

 Armament  AK-630M (6x30mm) CIWS to be fitted at first refit immediately on arrival in India

 LR-SAM Missile defense system to be fitted at second refit, three years after first refit.

Features• The aircraft carrier has a 273m flight deck to carry up to 20 MiG-29 fighters and

up to eight Kamov Ka-28/Ka-31 helicopters. • Eventually, it would carry HAL Tejas trainer aircraft, Dhruv light helicopters,

Kinzhal air defense missiles and Kashtan air defense gun or missile systems.• The ship will be operated in a STOBAR configuration, with a 14.3 degree ski-

jump on the bow and three arrestor wires on the stern of the angled deck. This will allow the operation of MiG-29K and Sea Harrier aircraft. The maximum take off length for the MiG-29K on the Vikramaditya will be between 160-180 metres.

• An added advantage of "Admiral Gorshkov' platform is its superstructure profile that has the potential to accommodate powerful planar or phased array radar systems with the "billboard style" antennae, which was first observed on the United States Navy's USS Long Beach, along with extensive command and control facilities to conduct an aerial campaign. 

• The ship is also projected to be equipped with a robust combination of air defense weaponry, such as a SAM and/or a CIWS.

Crew Training• The Indian Navy sent a 152-member crew for training on the ship in St.

Petersburg, Russia in end March 2011.• The first batch of officers and sailors commenced their training in Russia

to operate the ship, the IN announced on April 14, 2011.• "The first group of 152 sailors and officers commenced training in

Russia to prepare to take over INS Vikramaditya (formerly Admiral Gorshkov) aircraft carrier. The team largely comprises technical crew for the warship," said Commander P.V.S. Satish, naval spokesperson.

• Before leaving for Russia the crew underwent a three-month course in Russian language, he added.

• The warship will be operated by a crew of 1,400, who will be trained in Russia in batches.

Basing• On commissioning, INS Vikramaditya will be based at INS

Kadamba at the newly developed Karwar Naval Base and serve as the flagship of the Indian Navy's western fleet.

Sea Trials• Mooring trials of the refurbished carrier started on March 1, 2011, as

scheduled. The trials were primarily focused on testing the main propulsion plant. Additionally, the electronics fitted on the ship, including Indian-made systems, and air-technical facilities on board are being tested.

• Sea trials of the ship started on June 8, 2012 with a mix of Russian and Indian sailors on board and will last 120 days. On Monday, July 16, 2012 Russia's Northern Fleet information service announced that the ship has headed into the Barents Sea for second-stage sea trials. During the second stage trials the ship will test its main systems, main and secondary power systems, communications and navigation systems.

• On July 17, 2012, a MiG-29KUB piloted by Nikolai and Mikhail Belyaev Diorditsa did a touch and go landing on the deck of aircraft carrier. On July 29, 2012 the two pilots landed the MiG-29KUB on the aircraft and later took off. On November 1, 2012, Flight magazine reported that RAC MiG had completed sea trials of its MiG-29K/KUB aircraft on INS Vikramaditya.

Sea Trial Failure• INS Vikramaditya's delivery to the Indian Navy is delayed by at least 10

months, following failure of the insulation on its boilers during  pre-delivery sea trials in September 2012.

• An anonymous  Rosoboronexport official speaking to the Kommersant daily reportedly blamed the Indian Navy for the failure, saying it occurred because the IN objected to the use of “traditional” asbestos insulation which is hazardous to health, forcing the Russians to use ceramic insulation.

• According to an Izvestia source, the boilers shut down after overheating due to faulty ceramic insulation.

• Once Vikramaditya is towed back to the dockyard, the hull of the ship would have to be cut, and the boilers removed, an operation that is going to cost the perpetually bankrupt Sevmash another $30 million, which it doesn't have.

• Because of the harsh winters in the Arctic seaport of Severodvinsk, repairs won't start till Spring. According to Russian sources, the ship won't be delivered till October 2013 at the earliest.

MiG-29B (IAF) MiG-29K (IN)

Weapon Load Smaller Larger

Low Operability No YesLanding Gear

Not reinforced for deck landing

Reinforced for deck landing

Air-to-air refueling No Yes

Internal Fuel (kg) Single Seater3400 4800

Recovery Brake chute Arrester hook

Hard Points 7 9

Cockpit Visibility over the nose

Better

Wings Fixed Folding

Repair After Boiler Room Accident & Resumption of Sea Trials

• INS Vikramaditya returned to port on Sunday, September 23, 2012 for repairs. • On February 21, 2013,  head of Rusisa’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation

(FSMTC) Alexander Fomin confirmed to the press that Vikramaditya would be delivered to the Indian Navy in November.

• "In April, it is expected to place the ship to dry dock, in June and July the carrier will go for testing and somewhat in November - the official transfer of the ship will take place," Fomin told reporters.

• "Now, work on dismantling damaged section, installation of new equipment is going on," he said.• It took four to five months to repair and replace the brickwork used for thermal insulation of the

steam boilers. • The heat insulation will be repaired at Sevmash with minimal disruption to the remaining work.

The ship's hull will not need to be cut open as reported earlier by a section of the press. • After the boiler facility's sealing is replaced in February the crew will reassemble on board to

begin preparations for at-sea trials.• According to Leonov, on completion of the repair work, the ship will be dry docked on April 25,

2013. Dry dock inspections will take two months. During the period, propellers will be inspected again and protective anti-corrosion coating will be replaced or strengthened in problematic areas.

•  The ship is set to sail on July 3, 2013. Vikramaditya will have the same boilers, but now with new, high-quality thermal insulation. It is expected to reach its design speed of 30 knots and demonstrate its maneuvering qualities, including at top speed.

Aircraft Carried

View From Inside

References• http://lh5.ggpht.com/-lISiMN-xNi4/UQn4YJq38ZI/AAAAAAAAIVA/fjFpeQm0dtQ/s0/A

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93f.jpg• http://www.defesaaereanaval.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/INS-vikramady

tia-01b.jpg• http://lh6.ggpht.com/-KMqvTkRfAP4/UQn4bDMEYNI/AAAAAAAAIVQ/BZtoEixDRwA/

s0/Aircraft-Carrier-INS-Vikramaditya-Indian-Navy-02.jpg• http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dwInyJjDI8E/T79XGzVX2NI/AAAAAAAAAGg/TyQhK2uLQ

uc/s1600/INS+Vikramaditya.jpg• http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ucMWbLS4ovQ/UAvO4c9UafI/AAAAAAAANEc/5jE5BdfU

Uvk/s1600/INS+Vikramaditya+@Severomorsk+Naval+Base+area+with+a+Kamov+helicopter+31+Russia+will+deploy+a+MIG-35+and+other+aircraft+to+check+out+the+aviation+facilities+of+INS+Vikramaditya,+the+Russian+aircraft+carrier.jpg

• http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LS_txt7GCKA/UHKdi39cBVI/AAAAAAAAR20/syoV0okEfkA/s1600/INS+Vikramaditya+aircraft+carrier+Admiral+Gorshkov+Indian+Navy+STOBAR+MiG-29K+and+Sea+Harrier+ski-jump+Ka-28+ASW+Ka-31+helicopters+AEW+HAL+Tejas+lca-n+fighter+jet+Kiev+class+Bharat+Military+Review+operational+delivered+handed+%25285%2529.jpg

• http://i.imgur.com/5hibt.jpg• http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fSG43XrDm1c/Tk-SlCDpuiI/AAAAAAAACA8/uBz6ZnxyR

GM/s72-c/CHINESE%2BMAVY%2BAIRCRAFT%2BCARRIER....jpg• http://img295.imageshack.us/img295/9272/incarriers.jpg• http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j8QUtZh7xPw/T8Sc6S-qWQI/AAAAAAAAANI/cPVtZN2um

7k/s320/IMG_7271.JPG• http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZxesXFX51DI/T8Sc2lu8ZbI/AAAAAAAAAM4/ZejIPlfwneE

/s320/IMG_7263.JPG• https://sites.google.com/site/idpsentinel/naval-projects/aircraft-carriers/ins-vikra

maditya• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INS_Vikramaditya

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