Ready for INS Vikramaditya: Navy chief
4 Dec 2013 6:05 AM IST
The berth is ready where the 44,000 tonne aircraft carrier will be moored. Admiral DK Joshi, the chief of naval staff (CNS), told the media on Tuesday at a press conference held on the eve of Navy Day.
Vikramaditya will be the second aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy, with the old Viraat still keeping a vigil for the country. Viraat will then possibly be shifted to Vizag in the east, so that the service has one carrier battle group each on each of the seaboards, west and east.
A senior navy source told Millennium Post, that at the beginning Vikaramaditya will not actually sail with an air defence or a missile defence system. The reason, he said, was the exorbitant prices the Russian were demanding for the defence systems.
Though the ship will be immediately fitted with AK-630 guns, the air defence and the missile defence system will be fitted on the ship when it returns to the docks for its first refit, he said.
Be that as it may, in the press conference the CNS steered clear of controversy when asked whether he would like to comment on the Defence Minister, AK Antony’s recent comment that the navy was frittering away scarce and expensive resources, in light of the fire aboard the recently refurbished, Kilo-class submarine, Sindhurakshak, that sank in Mumbai port.
Adm Joshi said that he would not like to take cognisance of the press reports that have appeared quoting the defence minister.
Commenting on the piracy threat emanating from Somalia in north Africa, the CNS said: ‘The piracy threat has lessened considerably. There have been no piracies before the 450 nautical miles of the Indian coastline. We have asked the International Maritime Organisation to redesignate high risk areas (HRAs).’
Explaining the point, Joshi further stated, now with the HRAs being demarcated close to the coastline of the country, even the foreign vessels hug the coast. ‘There is no necessity of that now,’ the CNS added, ‘after we have sunk three or four mother ships of the pirates. He says that the new worries are the floating armouries of the 150-odd security companies that provide security to the ships on the high seas.
Vikramaditya will be the second aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy, with the old Viraat still keeping a vigil for the country. Viraat will then possibly be shifted to Vizag in the east, so that the service has one carrier battle group each on each of the seaboards, west and east.
A senior navy source told Millennium Post, that at the beginning Vikaramaditya will not actually sail with an air defence or a missile defence system. The reason, he said, was the exorbitant prices the Russian were demanding for the defence systems.
Though the ship will be immediately fitted with AK-630 guns, the air defence and the missile defence system will be fitted on the ship when it returns to the docks for its first refit, he said.
Be that as it may, in the press conference the CNS steered clear of controversy when asked whether he would like to comment on the Defence Minister, AK Antony’s recent comment that the navy was frittering away scarce and expensive resources, in light of the fire aboard the recently refurbished, Kilo-class submarine, Sindhurakshak, that sank in Mumbai port.
Adm Joshi said that he would not like to take cognisance of the press reports that have appeared quoting the defence minister.
Commenting on the piracy threat emanating from Somalia in north Africa, the CNS said: ‘The piracy threat has lessened considerably. There have been no piracies before the 450 nautical miles of the Indian coastline. We have asked the International Maritime Organisation to redesignate high risk areas (HRAs).’
Explaining the point, Joshi further stated, now with the HRAs being demarcated close to the coastline of the country, even the foreign vessels hug the coast. ‘There is no necessity of that now,’ the CNS added, ‘after we have sunk three or four mother ships of the pirates. He says that the new worries are the floating armouries of the 150-odd security companies that provide security to the ships on the high seas.
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