Russia's Delivery of Aircraft Carrier to India Delayed
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Sevmash Shipyard, Russia’s primary military shipyard, is at least three years behind in modernizing and upgrading the aircraft carrier Gorshkov, which was due to be delivered to India in 2008. The shipyard and the Russian government are asking India for additional funding to finish the contract, but the Indian Navy, discontent with these new developments, has not yet agreed to any new stipulations or financing. Currently, it looks as if the carrier will not be delivered to the Indian Navy until late 2010 or early 2011. The Mk 1143.4 Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier, which will be renamed the INS Vikramaditya after a renowned Indian general, is 273 meters long and has a 49-meter-long beam. It displaces 48,500 tons and has a 10.2-meter draught. The 45,000-ton vessel, which entered into service with the Soviet Navy in December 1987, has a 30-day sea endurance, accommodations for a 1,610-person crew, and a top speed of 30.7 knots. The bilateral contract to equip the ship with modern weaponry and refurbish it overall was signed in January 2004. The entire modernization process, which includes equipping it with sixteen MiG-29K aircraft and Ka-27 Helix-A and Ka-31 Helix-B anti-submarine helicopters, was originally slated to cost $1.5 billion, making it one of the largest single military contracts between Russia and India. However, it is now estimated that the project will cost over $113 million, but no provisions for exceeding the budget set in 2004 were included in the contract. There are numerous reasons for this increase in price and the delay in general. It is generally thought that the main cause of the price increase is due to financial troubles at Sevmash Shipyard. Additionally, supplies, labor, and energy resources have become more expensive since the signing of the contract. But others believe that the higher price is due to the strengthening of the ruble, high inflation in Russia, and the depreciation of the U.S. dollar. Moreover, certain aspects of refurbishing -- fixing ship flaws, deciding on and obtaining certain weapons, etc. -- take more time and money than estimated as different problems and events arise. This delay has the Indian Navy worried because its only other aircraft carrier, the INS Viraat, is due to be retired soon. With the Viraat, a Centaur-class aircraft carrier that was purchased from England in 1986, India is the only South Asian country to have an aircraft carrier, helping to make it the fifth largest navy in the world. The delivery of the refurbished Gorshkov (Vikramaditya), with the onboard squadron of MiG-29K jet fighters, would improve India’s firepower even more.