Breaking news
Indian Navy Aircraft Carrier INS Vikramaditya Finally Fitted with Defensive Weapon Systems.
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Naval
Forces News - India |
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Indian
Navy Aircraft Carrier INS Vikramaditya Finally Fitted with
Defensive Weapon Systems |
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The Indian Navy aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya was upgraded
with Barak-1 air defense systems and Russian made AK-630 close-in weapon
systems (CIWS). "INS Vikramaditya will sail out of the harbour
in Karwar after its first short refit and join the Navy in a week"
said Vice-Admiral P. Murugesan, Vice-Chief of the Naval Staff. Vikramaditya,
acquired from Russia for $2.3 billion, was commissioned into the Indian
Navy in November 2013 without air-defence systems. |
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 INS Vikramaditya, ex-Admiral Gorshkov, is finally fitted with Barak-1 and AK-630 air defense systems. Picture: Indian Navy |
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The
newly fitted systems include Israeli made (Rafael) Barak-1 surface-to-air
missile systems (in Vertical Launch Systems) and four 30mm six-barrel
AK-630 CIWS guns. The systems were taken off decommissioned Project
16 Godavari class Frigates. The carrier was originally scheduled to receive the Barak-8 air & missile defense system but the carrier was inducted without it because of delays in the program. The Vikramaditya, previously known as the Admiral Gorshkov, is a Soviet-made Project 1143.4 class aircraft carrier. It was sold to India in 2004. The refit that lasted eight years was the subject of a dispute between the two sides over cost. It was handed over to the Indian navy on November 16 2013 at the Semvash shipbuilder and departed from Russia on November 26. INS Vikramaditya is in a STOBAR configuration, with a 14.3 degree ski-jump on the bow and three arrestor wires on the stern of the angled deck. This allows the operation of 16 MiG-29K (and KUB) or Sea Harrier fighter aircraft and 10 helicopters. |