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Indian Navy Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma, who
is to retire this month end, said at his fareThe
aircraft carrier was originally scheduled for
induction in 2015 and the nuclear submarine earlier
set for operationalisation by 2012-end.
well press conference here that the aircraft
carrier may not be inducted anytime before 2017
or so, and the reason for the delay was the "setback"
the project had over delays in gear box deliveries
and a road accident involving a truck carrying
the generators for the vessel.
This delay has hit India's plans to deploy at
least two aircraft carriers on both eastern and
western seaboard by 2015.
India is scheduled to induct INS Vikramaditya,
the erstwhile Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier
of the Russian Navy, in December this year following
its refurbishing in Russian Sevmash shipyard.
Indian Navy's officers and crew are now training
on board the vessel in Russian waters.
The Navy is now operating the over-half-a-century
old INS Viraat, which is being pushed to service
for another five years now.
On Arihant, Adm Verma said: "We are pretty
close to putting it to the sea." The vessel
is anchored iin the naval base in Vishakhapatnam,
where it will be based after commissioning and
deployment.
Reminding that a nuclear-powered submarine programme
is very complex, he said there were a lot of unknowns
that could happen, which was the case with naval
programme of several major countries too.
"Next few months, we should prepare the
submarine for putting it to sea," he added
confidentally.
Admiral Verma has played a significant role in
the modernisation of the Indian Navy ever since
he was the Assistant Chief of Naval Staff for
planning futuristic force requirements.
(IANS)
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