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| INDIAN NAVY PHOTO |
Arrived today in a bitterly cold Severodvinsk, snowblown and windy. Escorted into the closed city from Archangelsk by representatives of Sevmash and three personnel from the ship I’m here to report on: the Vikramaditya.
They love her. They have deep respect for what she’s been through, but they’re ready to open her up on the sail home starting next month. Most crew stay on board the Vikramaditya now, berthed in the enormous dockyard of Sevmash, from where she’ll up hook, perhaps post Navy Day on December 4 to begin her journey home.
“You’ll know when you see her how proud we are of her,” a Lt Cdr from the crew told me today. “She will make the country proud. All the troubles we had with her are in the past.”
Will be spending the day at Sevmash tomorrow, where I’ll also be meeting and spending time with the aircraft carrier’s CO, senior Sevmash officials and Indian Navy reps who’ve flown in from India for the commissioning ceremony.
Shiv, it most be truly exciting. I can imaging waht you must feel when you see Vikramaditya in the Sevmash dock. Convey our warm regards to our brave navy men who are stationed and on board.
Your Tweet pic in Severodvinsk looking like it's bone chill buddy.
Viki should come soon to Karwar and the warm shores of India.
Cheers…will have a peg of whisky in your name buddy…
NSR says – Truly wonderful pictures and keep it up with your good work.
I am astounded to learn that it does not have any air/missile defense system at all. How do we expect to use this ship when the LR-SAM air/missile defense is not going to be ready for another 3 or more years? What happened to the $3 billions we paid to Israel for LR-SAM and MR-SAM. Some article said that it is unfair to expect Israel to transfer technology – why and what about taking $3 billions? They are already installing LR-SAM like missile in their ships by end of 2013. An article says they will install a rapid fire gun system in Vikramaditya and it is laughable. What kind of planning is that? A few Exocet like anti-ship missiles can make it go down…Extremely dangerous to send it on missions without air/missile defense. The person responsible for the LR-SAM and MR-SAM must be punished severely for signing a faulty contract. I think they must procure a Russian system immediately and install it. Do not wait for the Israeli system as it may never come and we will be laughing stock of the world. Please ask the commanders some tough questions about the air/missile defenses.
Which ships are escorting the carrier home?
We would love to see all the MIG 29 decked up on INS Vikramaditya and floating. It would be awesome and formidable.