Article

2007-08-01 India-Pakistan

Russia delays India aircraft carrier by another 3 yrs

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Posted by john frum 2007-08-01 12:15|| || Front Page|| [11133 views ] Top

#1 There was a lot of criticism from the Indian left when the Indian Navy proposed to buy the LPD USS Trenton. It was an old rustbucket they said. India was wasting its money.

Today, the INS Jalasha is sailing with the Indian fleet, for less than 60 million dollars while about 800 million has vanished into a hole somewhere in Russia

Posted by john frum 2007-08-01 12:35|| 2007-08-01 12:35|| Front Page Top

#2 New Delhi, August 9: An upright naval commander refuses to approve a faulty weapons system in Russia. He and his commissioning team are flown back toIndia. Six months later he is killed in a
mysterious hit-and-run case.

A year after his death, the commander gets a gallantry award. People, especially those in the navy, are drawing the obvious conclusion: that an arms mafia had him killed. This is the story of Commander Nawaz Ahmed.

As the commissioning officer of the Russian-built Krivak-III class frigate, christened INS Talwar, he realised during acceptance trials in 2002 that a key on-board weapon system the Shtil-1 urface-to-air missile was malfunctioning. The Talwar was to be the first of the three stealth frigates inducted into the navy at an aggregate cost of $1 billion. But Ahmed resisted allurement and intimidation in insisting that the Shtil snag first be rectified. With penalty clauses for delays specified in the contract, the stakes for the sellers were high. They pressed for acceptance of the ship and promised to rectify the problem post-delivery. But on Ahmed's advice, the navy refused to take delivery of the warship till the ability of Shtil-I to hit airborne targets was
demonstrated. The 180-strong commissioning crew was flown back. This set the delivery schedule back by over a year. Six months after returning to New Delhi, the commander was killed near Chanakyapuri. He was on his regular morning jog when a speeding water tanker hit him near the Italian Embassy at Satya Marg on June 19, 2003. But the general belief in the navy is that Ahmed was killed by the Russian arms mafia.

Posted by john frum 2007-08-01 12:43|| 2007-08-01 12:43|| Front Page Top

#3 800 million has vanished into a hole somewhere in Russia
That's not a hole, it's Putty's pals' pockets.

Posted by Spot">Spot 2007-08-01 13:03|| 2007-08-01 13:03|| Front Page Top

#4 I've long held the opinion that the US should sell the decommissioned USS Kennedy to India, to jump them way ahead of China in aircraft carrier technology, but Old Patriot trumped my idea with an even better one: to also sell the decommissioned USS Nimitz to Japan.

China would lose its marbles, and probably end up spending 10 times their current naval development budget on just trying to match India then Japan. And if that didn't break their back, it would still only give them technology that by US standards is obsolete.

Overnight, they would go from hoping to be #2 in aircraft carrier tech, to hoping to be #4.

Posted by Anonymoose 2007-08-01 13:44|| 2007-08-01 13:44|| Front Page Top

#5 That's an idea... Japan with a few Nimitz class carriers... the Chinese would have permanent incontinence....

Posted by john frum 2007-08-01 14:41|| 2007-08-01 14:41|| Front Page Top

#6 to also sell the decommissioned USS Nimitz to Japan.

Speaking as a taxpaying Rantburger, I'd be willing to give it to them gratis, if they promise to name it RUMSFELD.

Posted by SteveS 2007-08-01 14:41|| 2007-08-01 14:41|| Front Page Top

#7 I was'a hopin' for the USS Jong-Ill, with a huge wax manniquin of Elvis on front, Steve S. Maybe the USS Rumsfeld should be handed over to the Joos, just to tweek the mad mullah's noses.

Posted by BA 2007-08-01 14:54|| 2007-08-01 14:54|| Front Page Top

#8 The Nimitz is currently with the 7th Fleet in the Indian Ocean. The service life on the class is 50 years and she was commissioned in 1975, so I don't think she's going anywhere for awhile.

Posted by tu3031 2007-08-01 15:15|| 2007-08-01 15:15|| Front Page Top

#9 Rendering of the aircraft carrier being built in Cochin, India

Posted by john frum 2007-08-01 15:39|| 2007-08-01 15:39|| Front Page Top

#10 anybody else catch the irony of NIMITZ and Japan joining forces (so to speak)?

Posted by USN, Ret. 2007-08-01 15:42|| 2007-08-01 15:42|| Front Page Top

#11 In April 2005 India began building this indigenously designed aircraft carrier that will take eight years to complete. The keel laying is scheduled in October 2007. The ship is expected to enter service in 2012. The ADS is being built at Cochin shipyard.

This last design iteration shows much influence from the Italian Andrea Dorea Class carrier (currently known as the Cavour Class) in that there is much sloping of the superstructure and ship sides. The vessel will be powered by four HAL-built General Electric LM 2500 gas turbines driving 2 shafts. With a 12 to 14º ski-jump, the carrier has a STOBAR (Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery) arrangement on an angled flight deck with 2 aircraft elevators - one before the island and one after. In the STOBAR arrangement, the aircraft lands on the angled-flight deck and is stopped by arrester wires. The air group was projected to consist of at least 12 - and possibly 24 - combat aircraft like the MiG-29K, Sea Harrier and Naval LCA along with 10 or so helicopters of the Sea King Mk.42 and/or the HAL Dhruv. Two Ka-31 helicopters would provide airborne early warning coverage.

This ship can carry a maximum of 30 aircraft and 17 of these can be accommodated in the hangar. The ship will have two runways and a landing strip with three arrester wires. The ship has a length of 252 m, maximum breadth of 58m. draft of 8.4m and a depth of 25.6m. The ship will be propelled by four LM2500 gas turbines generating a total power of 80 MW (120,000HP approximately) thereby enabling the ship to do a maximum speed of 28 knots. The ship will have an endurance of 7,500 nautical miles at 18 knots and the logistic endurance of 45 days.

Posted by john frum 2007-08-01 15:42|| 2007-08-01 15:42|| Front Page Top

#12 But the Kitty Hawk is due to be decommissioned soon, and would make a great addition to either the Indian Navy or the Japanese Navy. Plus, we could always work out a deal to build some new Wasp+ LHDs, and sell the Indians and Japanese the older LHAs that we replace with the new production. Over a period of 10 or so years, we could replace all 5 of the LHAs and the oldest 1 or 2 of the LHDs, which would give the Indians and Japanese 3 Harrier carriers each. Then the only problem is deciding who is more worthy of the Kitty Hawk - Japan or India?

Posted by Shieldwolf 2007-08-01 15:42|| 2007-08-01 15:42|| Front Page Top

#13 Oh, heck. I misquoted OP. He had said the Kitty Hawk.

But that was an interesting thought about giving an aircraft carrier to Israel. Maybe we could make them a deal, an aircraft carrier for free, but only on condition that that majority of its crew be Orthodox (who currently dodge military service.)

It would be worth it for the arguments alone.

Posted by Anonymoose 2007-08-01 17:13|| 2007-08-01 17:13|| Front Page Top

#14 This ship can carry a maximum of 30 aircraft and 17 of these can be accommodated in the hangar.

That's pathetic. Barely better than a WW2 escort or "jeep" carrier. Sell 'em the designs for the upgraded Essex class (my dad served aboard the USS Hancock, CV 19). They carried more aircraft, had angled decks (in the upgraded designs), and also had guns & missiles.

Posted by FOTSGreg">FOTSGreg 2007-08-01 17:44|| 2007-08-01 17:44|| Front Page Top

#15 They were slammed by a committee of the Indian parliament over this. They questioned the small size of the ADS carrier.

However the Indian Navy's previous carriers have been the small ones that the British build and operate.
The ADS is based on the Italian Andrea Doria class.

Only the US has experience operating large carriers.

Posted by john frum 2007-08-01 18:17|| 2007-08-01 18:17|| Front Page Top

#16 Does the sloped front mean that it doesn't have catapults?

Posted by Free Radical">Free Radical 2007-08-01 19:02|| 2007-08-01 19:02|| Front Page Top

#17 Yep... ski jump

Posted by john frum 2007-08-01 19:19|| 2007-08-01 19:19|| Front Page Top

#18 Israel needs an SSBN, not a CV.

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2007-08-01 19:22|| 2007-08-01 19:22|| Front Page Top

#19 The Indian Navy doesn't want the ShittyKitty, it's shot. They need to build their own for any number of reason. Of course I expect the Japaneese can build they're own too. Yep, shirley they can.

Posted by Abu Maxis 2007-08-01 19:57|| 2007-08-01 19:57|| Front Page Top

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