How Russia provided India with a turnkey aircraft carrier strike group

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At sea has become another "huge floating target" more. A few days earlier, it became known about the successful completion of the fourth sea trials of the first aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy INS Vikrant of national construction. I wonder why all these naive Indians, Chinese, Japanese, South Koreans, Australians, Spaniards, French, British and Americans are building such "useless vessels" while smart Russians are developing their hypersonic "wunderwaffles" to destroy them? Let's try to figure it out.

INS Vikrant, own


First, it is necessary to say a few words about the first truly Indian aircraft carrier itself. Its total displacement is almost 38 tons, length - 000 meters, width - 262 meters. The power plant is represented by four LM62 + gas turbines, which allow the ship to reach speeds of up to 2500 knots and have a cruising range of 28 nautical miles. Despite stupid stereotypes, the aircraft carrier itself is not completely defenseless: it is armed with four Italian 7500-mm artillery systems, two Israeli-made vertical launchers of Barak-76 and Barak-1 missiles, as well as Russian anti-aircraft artillery systems AK- 8.



However, the main weapon of INS Vikrant, of course, is its air wing, which should be 26 fighters and 10 helicopters. New Delhi has not yet finally decided on the aircraft, it can be either the French Rafale-M carrier-based fighters or the American F / A-18E Super Hornet. The Indian aircraft carrier does not have a catapult; takeoff is facilitated with the help of a bow springboard. The carrier-based helicopters will be the Russian Ka-31 in charge of AWACS, the American WS-61 Sea King, and possibly the Indian HAL Dhruv.

INS Vikrant will be the third aircraft carrier in the Indian Navy. Why this "useless vessel" of New Delhi? Is it really only to amuse the ambitions of the former colony?

Then, in the region of Southeast Asia, India has two serious opponents. The first is neighboring Pakistan, by the way, a nuclear power, with which India has already fought several times and, apparently, will fight again. Carrier-based aircraft even took a real part in the hostilities. A more powerful navy than Islamabad allows New Delhi to impose a naval blockade on Pakistan if desired. India's immeasurably more dangerous potential adversary is China, which has already built the strongest navy in Southeast Asia. Having a lot of territorial claims to all its neighbors, Beijing itself relied on aircraft carriers, creating one aircraft carrier strike group after another. The presence of an aircraft carrier allows you to quickly conduct long-range radar reconnaissance, issue data for target designation to your anti-ship missiles, timely see fired enemy anti-ship missiles and aim your carrier-based fighters at them, as well as ship-based air defense missiles, patrol anti-aircraft defense helicopters and cover from enemy submarines.

In general, in the right hands, an aircraft carrier is an extremely useful thing. Go and try to sink it again, when a whole warrant of ships covers it, and its own carrier-based aircraft drives away enemy fighters and attack aircraft, not allowing it to reach the effective attack distance. All this is well understood by the Indians, and the Chinese, and the Japanese, and the South Koreans, and the Spaniards, and the French, and the British and the Americans, therefore, to the best of their ability, they build strike aircraft carriers or other aircraft carriers. To counter the AUG of the PLA Navy, New Delhi is preparing its own AUG, not counting on any "asymmetric answers" there in the form of some kind of "wunderwaffle".

Russian "genes"


Note that, like the Chinese, Indian aircraft carriers also have Russian "genes", because the Soviet admirals also understood something. On this moment I would like to go into more detail.

INS Vikrant was built by the Indian shipyard Cochin Shipyard Limited, but our Nevskoye Design Bureau helped in its development for New Delhi. The basis was the project No. 71 Indigenous Aircraft Carrie (IAC-1), developed jointly with the Italian AVIO. It turns out that we still know how to do something worthwhile in the aircraft carrier theme! But, of course, Russian "genes" should be looked for much deeper.

Let us recall the history of the Project 1143.4 heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov", which received a new life in the Indian Navy under the name "Vikramaditya". With a full displacement of 44 tons, the Soviet ship had a maximum speed of 500 knots and a cruising range of 32,5 miles at a speed of 7590 knots. Since it was a cruiser, "Admiral Gorshkov" carried not only an air wing, but also heavy strike weapons - 18 × 6 PU SCRC "Basalt"
4 × 6 modules of the Kinzhal air defense system, cannon and anti-aircraft artillery, as well as 2 × 10 anti-submarine RBU-12 000. However, its main weapon, of course, was the air wing, represented by 20 aircraft and 16 helicopters. In 2004, TAVKR was sold to India and for a long time was under modernization in Russia for subsequent transfer to the customer.

Why was it not useful to the Russian Navy?

The reasons can be named different. Of the relatively digestible, one can note the design features of the ship, which does not have a longitudinal take-off deck. According to the project, VTOL aircraft were to be based on it - 14 × VTOL Yak-41M and 6 × VTOL Yak-38M, as well as anti-submarine and reconnaissance helicopters. Russia does not currently have its own “verticals” and is not expected to. This, however, did not prevent the needs of the Indian Navy from completely converting the heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser into a “clean” aircraft carrier with a longitudinal take-off deck and a springboard on the bow, and all unnecessary strike weapons were removed. New Delhi's order was fulfilled by Sevmash. Instead of those missing as a class of VTOL aircraft, MiG-29K and MiG-29KUB light carrier-based fighters, as well as Russian-made helicopters, were adapted for the project.

What do we see? Contrary to the imposed stereotype, the Russian Federation has the competence to design and build aircraft carriers. Representatives of Sevmash explained that they actually had to completely rebuild and rebuild the ship. We also have carrier-based aircraft, at least the light MiG-29K and MiG-29KUB. Heavy Su-33 fighters, yes, are no longer produced and need to be replaced with something more modern like the carrier-based version of the Su-57. It would also be advisable to replace the outdated MiGs with the deck version of the Su-75. But this is not all that we actually have.

The fact is that frigates of the Talwar type are actively used as escort ships for aircraft carriers by the Indian Navy. Project 11356 Talvar frigates are a product of a deep modernization of the Soviet patrol ship of project 1135 Burevestnik, which was developed by the same Northern Design Bureau. For the needs of the Indian Navy, we built six such URO frigates, three - at the Baltic Shipyard in St. Petersburg, three - in Kaliningrad at the Yantar shipyard. Several more ships of this type are being built in India itself under an agreement on the transfer of part of technologies. Two of the three unfinished Russian frigates of project 11356Р of the "Admiral series" (modernization of the export "Talvar"), which were left without Ukrainian power plants in 2014, have now been sold there for completion.

That is, in fact, Russia has made a quite decent carrier strike group for India on a turnkey basis, having sold New Delhi both an aircraft carrier, an air wing for it, and escort ships. The big question is why it was impossible to do the same for the needs of the Russian Navy, having received the Russian AUG somewhere in the Pacific Ocean? Oh yes, we are the most intelligent and far-sighted, alien to hat-throwing and going to sink everyone with hypersonic “wunderwaffles”.
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23 comments
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  1. +2
    14 July 2022 17: 36
    the author correctly noted that India has interests extending far more than 3000 km from its shores, there are AB escort frigates, and many, and even a billion people, ....... the author is trying his inability to write the goals and objectives of AB (I remind 7 times), to cover up with the argument "but others do it", it turns out not to be reasoned arguments of specialists, but a kitchen dispute, others still drink vodka and think a lot of things, this is not an argument, .... the difference between India and such a continental power as the Russian Federation, this is warm weather, a stable sea (ocean), and not the Barents Sea where there is ice and snow, it’s cold overcast and planes don’t fly, and India also has tasks for AB, but we don’t have them, we don’t have escort frigates, .... so that again the totalitarian destructive sect of aircraft carriers was put to shame, sat down in a puddle, defeated like a Swede near Poltava, and flew upside down from my impenetrable arguments, YOU lost with your useless tubs clumsy bandura prodigies without any sense .... and alsocalling our beautiful hypersonic missiles vydervafl is indecent for you, firstly, I personally invented this word, and applied it to your aircraft carrier banduras, as the inventor of the word, I ask you to use it for its intended purpose, that is, to unnecessary and meaningless tubs of aircraft carriers, and secondly, hypersound is cool , we'll win
    1. -1
      15 July 2022 07: 56
      Vladimir, I made a strong-willed decision not to enter into further discussions with you on the topic of aircraft carriers.
      Everyone else - please, this one, no. But no one forbids you to continue to speak as you see fit.
      1. 0
        15 July 2022 08: 57
        you died in an unequal struggle and state your weakness and obvious defeat, 8 times I ask you to write down the goals of an aircraft carrier for the Russian Federation, where, how and why is it needed? you are weak! and you put on a good face in a bad game, get up in third position and, childishly offended, try to hide your weakness in the dispute ..... this is obvious to all specialists, neither you nor the former head of your sect Timokhin could do this, but Klimov wanted to block your unnecessary wunderwaffle the Baltic Sea, where its sunken skeleton will stick out of the water, reminding everyone of the uselessness of aircraft carriers, the Russian Federation and ports don’t have any (especially in the Baltic) except for the factory wall in the north
        1. -1
          15 July 2022 09: 21
          you died in an unequal struggle and state your weakness and obvious defeat, 8 times I ask you to write down the goals of an aircraft carrier for the Russian Federation, where, how and why is it needed? you are weak! and you, putting a good face on a bad game, get up in third position and, childishly offended, try to hide your weakness in the dispute

          I'm just tired of fighting windmills. I wrote about the goals and objectives a long time ago, and not only me, but also the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. I even provided a link to the official website of the Russian military department. What did it change?
          Every time the same thing is repeated, but I have neither the strength, nor the time, nor the desire to pour from empty to empty. What for?
          I have no purpose to personally prove something to you. If there is a sect here, then it is you and your not quite normal supporters. hi
          1. 0
            15 July 2022 19: 11
            the link you provided refers to frigates and the fleet in general, and you know this, but what is the task specifically of AB? she's gone! remind you 9 times that you can answer
            1. -1
              17 July 2022 04: 40
              Listen, Vovan 11-55, you are already tired of repeating these tasks for several years on different channels, who is to blame that you do not understand
              1. 0
                17 July 2022 08: 07
                listen to brisk, don’t lie, no one could formulate them, Andrey from Ch tried and realized that they were unrealizable, ..... Klimov suggested that Kuzya be driven to Kaliningrad, when I noticed that there was not a single deep-water port for Kuzi in the Baltic, Klimov became ashamed and he merged with this topic (and coastal planes from unsinkable Kaliningrad fly across the Baltic along and across), .... The Ministry of Defense cunningly and modestly wrote that the tasks of the kuzi do not differ from the tasks of the frigate ..... Timokhin invented some kind of carrier-based aviation support for coastal operations near Murmansk, which breaks down on the possibility of using coastal aviation ...... I will not describe the chimeras of the totalitarian destructive sect of aircraft carriers about the advancement of this bandura to the shores of California (where av will live less than KR Moscow in the Black Sea) or into the ice of the northern coast of Canada ..... can you Yurka formulate the goals and objectives of the AB of our continental power, if it is so simple, and we will discuss the weakness of your position?
                1. -1
                  17 July 2022 14: 13
                  You can read the tasks of aircraft carrier-class ships by syllables in any reference book. It may be that continental Switzerland or Belarus do not need aircraft carriers, but to ensure the interests of Russia in Africa and South America, they will need
                  1. 0
                    17 July 2022 16: 03
                    Quote: Yuri V.A
                    to ensure the interests of Russia in Africa and South America will be necessary

                    we've heard it before! just specify what these interests are? and what are you going to provide them with except for Kuzi, there are no escort ships, and for interests in Africa and South America you will have to create another fleet of transport tankers, attach hundreds of non-existent frigates to them, provide personnel who want to drown in the ocean or bend down on the coast of Papuan. .... and why for the implementation of such strange interests of AB? if friends are waiting for us, they will provide us with a ground airfield like Syria, and if no one is waiting for us, why on earth are you going to bomb the peaceful cities of Africa and South America? women and children? explain the legal and ethical conscientious grounds for this use of our armed forces? and i yay! Didn't they explain to you in kindergarten that you can't offend little ones?
                    1. 0
                      18 July 2022 12: 25
                      Everything has to be explained with fingers and pictures. For example, in Africa we are building a kind of Aswan hydroelectric complex on credit, in this country there is a change of regime and the new authorities nationalize Russian property. People like you will wipe out and write off debts when, in the presence of a full-fledged squadron, the issue is resolved in a week
                      1. 0
                        18 July 2022 15: 13
                        Quote: Yuri V.A
                        we build on credit the likeness of the Aswan hydroelectric complex

                        What is this for ? are you out of your mind? let the customer pay for the construction in parts ...... and so the USSR fed half of Africa in vain and you go there too ...... we ourselves need hydroelectric facilities
                      2. 0
                        18 July 2022 15: 37
                        Read a couple more times what they wrote to you, otherwise your answer suggests a diagnosis
  2. +1
    14 July 2022 17: 53
    As VV Putin said: "We must rejoice." What helped India.
  3. -1
    14 July 2022 18: 06
    I agree with Sergey and dream. With the release of Kuznetsov, we will add one 1164, two 22350 and three 11356 to it. We can assemble such an AUG of medium scall in Mediterranean. The new AB for 70 kt atomic, the modernized "Nakhimov" and the four 22350 at the Pacific Fleet could be in 12-15 years. angry
    1. 0
      17 July 2022 08: 12
      Quote: Scharnhorst
      We can collect such an AUG of medium scall in the Mediterranean

      why? and how will we get it from the bottom of the sea when it is drowned by coastal missiles? and who will be left to ensure the exit - return of the SSBNs from the bases? if you decided to send the entire fleet, without exception, to certain death in the middle-earth for disposal along with the crews? = the blue dream of the sectarians of aircraft carriers (agreed with Sergey and dreamed, but will you carry the funeral yourself?)
  4. 0
    14 July 2022 18: 44
    I don't know anything about ships or sailing in general. But the author, in my opinion, quite logically raises the question. At least after reading it, as a layman, I also thought - why can we build a fleet for them, but not for ourselves.
    The latest events in the Black Sea, connected with Ukraine, did not disappoint, except perhaps the blind and deaf. So tell me after that that the author is wrong. Even if we do not take into account aircraft carrier ships, it's all the same - why can't we build a normal fleet for ourselves, which will not be immediately sunk by the antediluvian weapons of a third-rate country?
    1. +1
      14 July 2022 20: 56
      At the moment, Ukraine has far from antediluvian weapons, including anti-ship weapons. Yes, and I would not call Ukraine a third-rate country. As the NWO showed that the enemy is quite serious. In all likelihood, you do not understand not only the Navy, but also the ground forces, too. And in order not to be disappointed, you just need to show how to do it. By my personal example. Luckily there are a lot of job openings. From 18 to 60 (narrow specialists).
  5. you need to sell Uncle Kuzya to the Indians - maybe they will take it!
    1. -3
      15 July 2022 14: 34
      Some people should be banned from commenting.
      1. 0
        17 July 2022 08: 15
        you are Sergei, a usurper of civil rights and trample on the constitution of the Russian Federation, Article 29

        1. Everyone is guaranteed freedom of thought and speech.

        2. Propaganda or agitation that incite social, racial, national or religious hatred and enmity is not allowed. Propagation of social, racial, national, religious or linguistic superiority is prohibited.

        3. No one can be forced to express or reject their opinions and beliefs.

        4. Everyone has the right to freely seek, receive, transmit, produce and disseminate information in any lawful way. The list of information constituting a state secret is determined by federal law.

        5. Freedom of the media is guaranteed. Censorship is prohibited.
  6. +1
    17 July 2022 10: 37
    An aircraft carrier is a ship, oddly enough, of peacetime, just an awesomely expensive and cool toy (now it’s not World War II and interested countries have long been ready to neutralize these troughs). And he has one task - a demonstration of strength and economic power. In case of war, he is not a tenant and within a day will become a "table decoration" at Neptune (no military guard will save him). Therefore, it is much more efficient and cheaper to develop means of their destruction. Even a flock of anti-ship missiles used against such a monster will be a couple of orders of magnitude cheaper than this.
    1. +1
      17 July 2022 19: 13
      I agree, but some aggressive countries have aircraft carriers to attack their unarmed colonies and destroy women and children, the elderly in calm weather, and our country is not a world gendarme, which means we don’t need av
      1. +1
        17 July 2022 21: 52
        Quote: vladimir1155
        our country is not a world gendarme, which means we don’t need av

        That's it