Indian Aircraft Carrier Plods On, Floats

The Hindu reports today that the hull of India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC) was floated out of its dry-dock at an unannounced ceremony. The facility, it appears, was required for urgent commercial work at the shipyard. The actual launch is expected to take place a year from now. Timelines have already slipped significantly in what is by far India’s most ambitious shipbuilding effort yet. Previously intended for commissioning in 2013, the INS Vikrant (as it will be christened, after India’s first carrier) is likely to enter service only in 2015.

18 thoughts on “Indian Aircraft Carrier Plods On, Floats”

  1. Yawn..Shiv, please. Do get a hang of how shipbuilding is ACTUALLY done before writing your opinion on it.

    In a shipyard, the dry dock /graving dock is a critical resource /bottleneck. It is like a shelf in a retail space. You want to keep it blocked as little time as possible and keep a good "turnover" of hulls on it. So what is done is that when the hull is reasonably built , it is floated out to the quayside , where the fittings (electrical,plumbing, machinery, engines ,living quarters weapons etc happen) and stays there until the final stage (this could be a year or so) , the ship is taken BACK to the buildng dock, where the underwater hull is sand blasted to clear out barnacles and fouling, painted again, final propellers and shafts fitted out and then sent out. Meanwhile, while the ship is on the quayside getting outfitted, another hull is built in the building dock.

  2. The fighters on top doesn't look like what we have or intend to have…the sharp nose suggest to me that its F-15…anyways happy to see the pic to VIKRANT

  3. The Indian Navy's indigenous aircraft carrier is very similar to the Italian light aircraft carrier 'Cavour' although bigger in size and some of the design element and engineering aresimilar.

  4. Problem here is that everything about this build is new. The suppliers are new, the parts are new and the design is new.

    If this same design and ship were to be built by Newport News (Huntington Ingalls) they would have spit out the finished ship in under 2 years flat- wiring and all.

    The guys at Cochin are learning the ropes and the suppliers are figuring stuff out.

    Even after IAC-1 is built, its going to have a LONG period of tests and a very extended shakedown to iron out all the wrinkles of a new design built in an inexperienced yard.

  5. The ADS got delayed because of the gear box intended for main propulsion got rejected. Secondly it is not only Cochin Shipyard who is learning the ropes but Indian Navy too.

  6. i had the great opportunity of climbing and having a look around in the unfinished IAC hull when it was in the building dock….frankly when i saw it i thought it was too small to be a aircraft carrier compared to INS Viraat which was also berthed in the repair dock of Cochin Shipyard last year for its repairs and painting. But i am hopeful of it being an excellent carrier after all the work is finished 🙂

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