Indian Navy Expects “Timely Delivery” Of INS Vikramaditya Despite Delay Reports

The delivery of the INS Vikramaditya, a former Russian naval aircraft carrier, maybe further delayed until October 2013 because of an engine malfunction during sea-trials. According to Russian officials, “Seven out of eight steam boilers of the propulsion machinery were out of order” and the boilers failed because “India refused to use asbestos to protect the boilers from heat, fearing that the material was dangerous for the crew". However, the Indian Navy refuted the claims over the use of asbestos. Official spokesperson for the Indian Navy, Commander PVS Satish, said, “This report has been blown out of proportion. There is no question of India’s refusal to use of asbestos since it’s internationally banned. At the time of signing the contract, it was simply specified in the agreement”. “So far, there has been no indication from the Russian side over any delays. We are looking forward to the timely delivery of the carrier,” he added. Meanwhile, Russian daily Kommersant reported that three of the eight boilers of the 44,500 tonne warship were found to be malfunctioning as "they cannot reach their full capacity". The Russian United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) was supposed to deliver the warship to India in 2009, but has been delayed due to cost overruns. In 2009, India and Russia signed a contract worth $947 million for the warship; however, the costs have now risen to $2.3 billion. In anticipation of the refitted Vikramaditya, India has begun induction MiG-29K naval fighter jets that will operate in STOBAR (short take-off but assisted recovery via arresting wires) mode. The ship formerly known as Admiral Gorshkov has a displacement of 45,000 tonne, a maximum speed of 32 knots and an endurance of 13,500 nautical miles (25,000 km) at a cruising speed of 18 knots. By Bindiya Thomas