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While INS Vikrant will be delivered late, India starts design work on much larger, 65,000 tons, carrier

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Naval Forces News - India
 
 
 
While INS Vikrant will be delivered late, India starts design work on much larger, 65,000 tons, carrier
 
Indian Navy Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma announced the nation's first indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC) INS Vikrant will not be ready until 2017, three years later than the planned schedule. However The New Indian Express daily reports that design work on the much larger aircraft carrier INS Vishal has already started.

“There were problems in manufacturing the gear box, which involves complex technology. The truck bringing generators overturned near Pune last year, further delaying the schedule,” Indian Navy Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma explained.
     
Indian Navy Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma announced the nation's first indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC) INS Vikrant will not be ready until 2017, three years later than the planned schedule. However The New Indian Express daily reports that design work on the much larger aircraft carrier INS Vishal has already started.
INS Vikrant out of dry dock
(Picture: Internet)
     
Preparations for building INS Vikrant started in 2008, and the keel was laid in February 2009. The carrier was floated out of its dry dock on 29 December 2011.

The vessel is designed to deploy up to 30 fixed-wing aircraft, primarily the Mikoyan MiG-29K and the naval variant of the HAL Tejas Mark 2, and about 10 helicopters. It features a STOBAR (Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery) configuration with a ski-jump. It will displace 40,000 tons and measure 262 meters long.

At the same time, sources told The New Indian Express daily that design work for INS Vishal has already started. INS Vishal is set to displace 65,000 tons: That's 25,000 tons more than INS Vikrant. INS Vishal will be close to Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers in terms of size and displacement. According to rumors, this carrier will be CATOBAR (Catapult Assisted Take Off Barrier Arrested Recovery) similar to US Navy super carriers, however nothing has been officially confirmed and it is not clear yet how India would obtain the catapult technology.

Indian Navy is set to receive INS Vikramaditya (ex-Admiral Gorshkov) by year-end.