The
Indian Navy's newest aircraft carrier, the Vikramaditya, has headed
into the Barents Sea for second-stage sea trials, as part of its refit
by Russia's Sevmash shipyard, Captain Vadim Serga of Russia's Northern
Fleet information service said on Monday.
The Vikramaditya, formerly the Soviet Union's Admiral Gorshkov, has
finished a long-delayed refit for the Indian Navy at Sevmash on the
Kola peninsula. The ship was extensively modified to undertake STOBAR
(short takeoff but assisted recovery) operations with MiG-29K naval
fighter aircraft, as well as receiving new air defense, communications
and navigations systems.
The Vikramaditya is currently successfully undertaking the second
round of shipyard sea trials, during which the ship will test its main
systems, main and secondary power systems, communications and navigation
systems," Serga said.
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The ship is being operated by a Northern Fleet crew,
many of whom have experience with carrier operations on the Russian
Navy's Admiral of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov. Also on board are Sevmash
shipyard specialists and Indian Navy officers.
The crew includes Northern Fleet aviation personnel, who test the carrier’s
radar systems, air defenses, communications and air direction systems.
India and Russia signed a $947 million dollar deal in 2005 for the purchase
of the carrier, but delivery has already been delayed twice, pushing
up the cost of refurbishing the carrier to $2.3 billion.
The Vikramaditya - as the Admiral Gorshkov - was originally laid down
in 1978 at the Nikolayev South shipyard in Ukraine, launched in 1982,
and commissioned with the Soviet Navy in 1987.
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