‘Aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov shaping up for sea trials’
July 20th, 2011 - 11:25 pm ICT by IANSNew Delhi, July 20 (IANS) The aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov that India bought in 2004 is shaping up well to begin its sea trials in a couple of months, Indian Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma has concluded after a six-day visit to Russia, where the warship is undergoing a refit.
Verma, who visited the aircraft carrier for which India has agreed to pay $2.34 billion, returned to India Monday, a navy press release issued Wednesday said.
He had gone to the Sevmash shipyard and taken a tour of Gorshkov, a 45,000 tonne warship of the Kiev class that has already been rechristened INS Vikramaditya by Indian Navy.
Apart from the shipyard, the navy chief also visited Vladivostok, Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad.
“Admiral Verma took an extensive tour of Vikramaditya on his visit to the Sevmash Shipyard, where he observed that significant progress had been made and the ship was shaping up well for the preliminary sea trials,” the release said.
During his visit to Kaliningrad, he reviewed the progress of the Talwar class follow-on frigates, under construction at the Yantar shipyard. He was reassured that the first ship INS Teg would commence trials shortly and be delivered in six to eight months, it said.
The admiral made a first hand assessment of all projects and held vital discussions with officials at the highest leadership levels of the Russian armed forces and defence industry.
“Reviewing ongoing projects, he observed that they were progressing satisfactorily and had reached critical stages of maturity. He also expressed satisfaction with the quality of construction and repairs,” the release added.
In his discussions with the Russian Navy commander-in-chief on operational exchanges between the two navies, they agreed that the Indra naval war exercises series formed an important aspect of their bilateral relationship, and would need to be continued and extended in scope and participation.
They also discussed possible avenues of co-operation including anti-piracy operations, the release said.
- Defence secretary in Russia for talks - Jun 13, 2011
- India to get Russian aircraft carrier by December - Jan 17, 2012
- Indian aircraft carrier's sea trials postponed - May 24, 2012
- Indigenous aircraft carrier launch this December: Antony - Aug 02, 2011
- Indian Navy to focus on manpower, operational assets - Oct 14, 2011
- Navy crew training in Russia for Gorshkov takeover - Apr 14, 2011
- Gorshkov refit on track: India - Jun 01, 2010
- Senior navy officer to be sacked for sexual misconduct (Lead, changing dateline) - Feb 05, 2011
- Brand new Indian Navy with long legs by 2027: Admiral Verma - Dec 02, 2011
- Navy to operate Viraat aircraft carrier for another decade - Jan 19, 2011
- Will ground MiG-29 if needed: Indian Navy chief - Jun 24, 2011
- Indian, Russian navies to expand cooperation in Indian Ocean Region - Jan 17, 2011
- Show of might at president's naval fleet review Dec 20 - Dec 15, 2011
- Indian Navy plans base in Lakshadweep - Jan 23, 2011
- Indian Navy in fast forward mode (With Image) - May 16, 2012
Tags: admiral gorshkov, aircraft carrier, bilateral relationship, commander in chief, critical stages, defence industry, eight months, frigates, indian navy, kiev, naval war, navies, navy commander, ongoing projects, russian navy, sea trials, shipyard, vikramaditya, vladivostok, warship