INS Vikramaditya ()Literally Vikramaditya translates as being "Sun (Aditya) of valour" (Vikram). The component āditya (sun) literally means "he who belongs to Aditi". It was the title of the most famous king in Indian history, Vikramaditya of Ujjain, famed as a noble ruler and a mighty warrior. He ruled the Gupta Empire between 380 and 413/15 AD. is a conventionally powered STOBAR aircraft carrier currently serving as the flagship of the Indian Navy. It is a modified aircraft cruiser purchased from Russia and entered into service in 2013.
Originally built as Baku and commissioned in 1987, the carrier served with the Soviet Navy and later with the Russian Navy (as Admiral Gorshkov) before being decommissioned in 1996. After years of negotiations, the carrier was purchased by India on 20 January 2004. The transformed ship completed her sea trials in July 2013 and first naval aviation trials in September 2013.
Vikramaditya was commissioned on 16 November 2013 at a ceremony held at Severodvinsk, Russia. On 14 June 2014, the newly elected Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, formally inducted Vikramaditya into the Indian Navy.
History
The deal Baku entered service in 1987, renamed Admiral Gorshkov in 1991, but was deactivated in 1996 because she was too expensive to operate on a post-Cold War budget. This attracted the attention of India, which was looking for a way to expand its carrier aviation capabilities. On 20 January 2004, after years of negotiations, Russia and India signed a deal for the sale of the ship. The ship would be free, while India would pay US$800 million for the upgrade and refit of the vessel and an additional US$1 billion for the aircraft and weapons systems. The navy looked at equipping the carrier with the E-2C Hawkeye, but decided not to. In 2009, Northrop Grumman offered the advanced E-2D Hawkeye to the Indian Navy.
The deal also included the purchase of 12 single-seat Mikoyan MiG-29K "Fulcrum-D" (Product 9.41) and four dual-seat MiG-29KUB aircraft (with an option for 14 more aircraft) at US$1 billion, six Kamov Ka-31 "Helix" reconnaissance and antisubmarine helicopters, torpedo tubes, missile systems, and artillery units. Facilities and procedures for training pilots and technical staff, delivery of simulators, spare parts, and establishment maintenance on Indian Navy facilities were also part of the contract.
The upgrade involved stripping all the weaponry and missile launcher tubes from the ship's foredeck to make way for a "short take-off but arrested recovery" (STOBAR) configuration,Defence Talk – Pictures of the Gorshkov being worked on in dry docks converting the Gorshkov from a hybrid carrier/cruiser to a pure carrier.
The announced delivery date for INS Vikramaditya was August 2008, allowing the carrier to enter service just as the Indian Navy's only light carrier INS Viraat retired. While Viraat'''s retirement had been pushed out to 2010–2012,Defense Industry Daily INS Vikramaditya Hits Delay, Cost Increases she underwent a final refit, enabling her to serve through 2016.
The delay issues were compounded by ongoing cost overruns, leading to high-level diplomatic exchanges. India finally agreed to pay an additional US$1.2-1.5 billion for the project, doubling the original cost. However, ongoing difficulty with Vikramaditya's delivery schedule pushed the expected delivery to 2013. Also, the indigenous Vikrant-class aircraft carrier was delayed by at least a year and was expected to be commissioned in 2013 from the proposed 2012.
In July 2008, Russia reportedly needed to increase the price by about US$2 billion, blaming unexpected cost overruns on the deteriorated condition of the ship and citing a "market price" for a new midsized carrier of US$3–4 bn. India had paid US$400 million as of November 2008. However, Russia threatened to cancel the deal entirely if India did not pay the increased amount. In December 2008, government sources in India stated that the Cabinet Committee on Security had finally decided in favour of purchasing Admiral Gorshkov as the best option available. The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) criticised the fact that Vikramaditya would be a second-hand warship with a limited lifespan, which would be 60% costlier than a new one. Also, a risk existed of further delay in its delivery. The Indian Navy Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Sureesh Mehta, defended the price for the warship, saying, "I can't comment on the CAG. But you all are defence analysts, can you get me an aircraft carrier for less than US$2 billion? If you can, I am going to sign a cheque right now".
The statement from the Chief of Naval Staff at that time indicated that the final deal could be over US$2 billion. When asked about CAG's finding that the navy had not done its risk analysis before going in for the ship, he was quoted as saying, "I can ensure you that there is no such thing. There is no question, we have been looking at the ship since the late '90s."
On 7 December 2009, Russian sources indicated that final terms had been agreed on, but no delivery date was set. On 8 December 2009, India and Russia were reported to have ended the stalemate over Admiral Gorshkov price deal by agreeing on a price of US$2.2 billion. Moscow asked for US$2.9 billion for the aircraft carrier, nearly three times the amount originally agreed upon between the two sides in 2004. New Delhi, though, wanted the price to be scaled back to US$2.1 billion. Both governments finalised the price of Admiral Gorshkov at US$2.35 billion on 10 March, a day ahead of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's two-day visit to India.
In April 2010, a scandal over the project emerged when it was announced that a senior Indian Navy officer had probably been blackmailed to influence the negotiations over the cost of Admiral Gorshkov to India. Commodore Sukhjinder Singh had been a senior figure supervising the refit of the carrier, working as the principal director for the project. "Photographs showing him in intimate situations with women" allegedly taken during his 3-year overseas service in Russia were mailed to Navy headquarters in a CD. Several photos were later leaked to the Indian press. He was discharged from service due to this incident.
Remodeling
The hull work was completed by 2008, and Vikramaditya was launched on 4 December 2008. Around 99% of the structural work and almost 50% of the cabling work had been completed by June 2010. Nearly all of the large equipment, including engines and diesel generators, was installed. A naval MiG-29K prototype aircraft was used to test the deck systems of Vikramaditya in 2010.
All reconfiguration work was completed at Severodvinsk, Russia, but it was delayed by three years due to an underestimation of the amount of cabling needed. An expert-level discussion on technical and financial matters was held between India and Russia to resolve the issues. The MiG-29K entered operational service with India in February 2010. A compromise was finalised, and India was to pay an extra undisclosed amount. Russia was to install new systems instead of repairing the old ones.
On 1 June 2010, The Times of India reported a naval officer saying: "With India earlier this year agreeing to the revised refit cost of $2.33 billion for Gorshkov after three years of bitter wrangling since the earlier agreement signed in January 2004 had earmarked only $974 million for it, Russia has appointed a high-level apex committee to oversee the work on the carrier". The ship was to go for harbour trials by early 2011 to ensure she could be handed over to India by around December 2012. Dock trials began on 1 March 2011. These trials focused on the main power generation units and the radio-electronic armament systems, manufactured in India. Indian Navy personnel began training on Vikramaditya in April 2011. On 19 April 2012, it was announced that all internal systems were functioning, and the ship was entirely self-contained. The ship's magnetic field and centre of gravity were measured before sea trials began.
New design
As completed, Vikramaditya has a larger full load displacement than when the ship was originally launched in 1982 as Baku; 1,750 out of 2,500 compartments of the vessel were refabricated, and extensive recabling was done to support new radars and sensors. The elevators were upgraded, and two restraining stands were fitted, allowing combat aircraft to reach full power before making a ski jump-assisted short take-off. Three arresting gears were fitted on the aft of the angled deck, and navigation and carrier-landing aids were added to support fixed-wing "short take-off but arrested recovery" (STOBAR) operations.
Structural modifications
The major modifications were to allow Admiral Gorshkov to operate as a STOBAR aircraft carrier in Indian service, as opposed to the STOVL configuration the ship was built as. This involved removal of all the armament, including the P-500 Bazalt cruise missile launchers and the four Antey Kinzhal surface-to-air missile bins fitted on the ship's bow, to make way for a 14.3°, full-width ski-jump. The 20-ton capacity aircraft lift beside the ship's island superstructure was unchanged, but the aft lift was enlarged, and its lift capacity increased to 30 tons. For STOBAR operations, three 30 m arrestor wires and three restraining gears on the stern of the angled deck were equipped. Sponsons were installed to increase flight deck area, allow the ski-jump to be fitted, for strengthening of arresting gear and runway area, and to lengthen the after end, which allowed an increase to the length of the landing strip aft of the arresting gear. 234 new hull sections were installed to achieve the desired shape, and the total steel added to carry out these modifications amounted to 2500 tons.
The superstructure profile was designed to accommodate the fixed phased array scanners of the Soviet Navy's Mars-Passat 3D air search radar system, along with extensive command and control facilities to conduct an aerial campaign. Extensive revamp of sensors was carried out, with long-range air-surveillance radars and advanced electronic warfare suites fitted, which enable the maintenance of a surveillance bubble of over 500 km around the ship. An aft mast was installed to accommodate various communication antennae. These changes needed 2,300 km of new cables and 3,000 km of new pipes.
The eight original boilers were replaced by new generation, high-pressure boilers, converted to take diesel fuel utilising LSHSD (→ Low Sulphur High Speed Diesel) instead of mazut, each providing a steam capacity of 100 tonnes per hour. The new boilers are highly efficient and have high levels of automation. They power four propellers in a four-shaft configuration, producing a total thrust of at the shaft, providing a top speed of over 30 knots. Six turbo alternators and six diesel alternators generate 18 MW of electricity to power various equipment. Modern oil-water separators, as well as a sewage treatment plant, were incorporated to meet international standards. Six new Finnish Wärtsilä 1.5 MW diesel generators, a Global Marine communications system, Sperry Bridgemaster navigation radar, a new telephone exchange, new data link and an IFF Mk XI system were added. Residential services were improved with the addition of two reverse osmosis plants producing 400 tons of fresh water per day, as well as updated refrigeration and air conditioning. A new galley was installed with improved domestic services and accommodation for 10 female officers.
Combat systems