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| India-Pakistan |
| India navy drops another anchor |
| 2006-10-16 |
| The Indian Navy is getting a new base on the country's east coast. It is 50 kilometers south of Visakhapatnam, where the navy's eastern command is headquartered. This is India's second east-coast naval base, and it is designed to help protect the country's trade with Southeast Asia and to keep a wary eye on China's naval posture in the Bay of Bengal. The new base - it doesn't have a name yet since it is still at a concept and design stage - is expected to berth two aircraft carriers, support ships and submarines. India's first indigenously built aircraft carrier, which is capable of operating a fleet of 30 aircraft, including naval light combat aircraft, MiG 29K and Sea Harrier aircraft, is likely to be berthed there. Visakhapatnam houses a naval base and a commercial port, the latter India's leading port in terms of tonnage for the sixth year in a row. Since expansion of the port is not feasible and with maritime traffic expected to increase in the coming years, the need for a complementary port has been felt for a while now. That culminated in the decision to set up a commercial port at Gangavaram. |
| Posted by:Nimble Spemble |
| #4 it is designed to help protect the country's trade with Southeast Asia and to keep a wary eye on China's naval posture in the Bay of Bengal. Not to mention Sri Lanka... |
| Posted by: Pappy 2006-10-16 21:50 |
| #3 Well, after all, they had a couple centuries of apprenticeship under the best. |
| Posted by: Jackal 2006-10-16 21:19 |
| #2 Some Indian newspapers have criticised the purchase of the USS Trenton, aliming the ship is an old rustbucket, with a history of problems. What they fail to notice is the Indian Navy's eagerness to acquire the ship. The IN knows the Trenton is old. They know that they only have about a decade left to use it. They know of its history of problems. They want experience using it, to learn its problems, figure out solutions, figure out what an Indian built version would be like. Slow, plodding operational experience. The IN believes it knows more about carrier ops than the Russians. It has operated carriers for longer. Even though they are buying an old Russian carrier and Mig29K, the pilots are being trained by the US Navy. |
| Posted by: john 2006-10-16 20:51 |
| #1 India is building its navy the smart way: slowly and methodically. Unlike the Russians and Chinese, this is how you get a navy that floats, doesn't continually break down, and doesn't fall apart under routine use. This is especially true of submarines. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2006-10-16 20:35 |