New Delhi, Jun 28 (PTI)
Fighter aircraft will start taking off from Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier
next month as Russia will start trials of aviation facilities on the warship
scheduled to join Indian Navy by December. The Russian side will start critical
trials of the aviation complex of the aircraft carrier from mid-July using two
MiG 29K fighter aircraft, Navy officials said here. The ship trials of the
aircraft carrier had started early this month in the White Sea and now it will
move towards the Briants Sea for the aviation complex trials, they said. India
had signed a deal worth over USD 2.3 billion with Russia for procuring the
aircraft carrier along with a component of MiG 29K naval fighter aircraft for
the Navy. During the trials, the Russian side will check navigation, radars and
landing facilities at the warship in presence of the Indian team, they said. The
trials, to continue for another six months, will be done by Russian experts
only as the warship is yet to be handed over to India, an official said,
adding, "Our pilots will start flying operations on it only after it is
officially handed over to us." As part of the contract, the Indian Navy
will send a team of its pilots to Russia for flying operations on the aircraft
at a shore-based facility in Ukraine. The purchase of Admiral Gorshkov was
agreed in 2004 but delivery to India has been long delayed. India has already
received a squadron of 16 MiG 29K aircraft from Russia and has deployed it at
its air base in Goa. For India, which is operating lone aircraft carrier INS
Virat, the Gorshkov is key to its military strategy as it wants to operate two
such warships at its two vast Eastern and Western sea boards. Navy Chief
Admiral Nirmal Verma had recently stated that Indian Navy's medium term aim was
to to have at least two fully operational and combat-worthy carriers available
at any given time.
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