Aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya to Start Sea Trials on June 8

06.06.2012 Indian Navy's aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya (former Russian Admiral Gorshkov) will depart for the White Sea on June 8 at 2 am to start sea trials, reports Lenta.ru referring to RIA Novosti. Information about coming trials appeared in media after a statement made by a Sevmash shipyard spokesman.

According to the yard's official, the carrier's sea trials will last 120 days. If any defects are detected, the ship will stop trials and return to Sevmash to eliminate them, explained the interviewee.

As of Sept 2011, Indian Navy was planning to begin trials of INS Vikramaditya late in May 2012. Sevmash shipyard is about to deliver the ship to the client in Dec 2012.

India agreed with Russia to purchase Admiral Gorshkov in 2004. The contract value was $1.5 bln. According to the contract, India received the carrier for free but obliged to modernize the ship at Sevmash and to equip her with Russian-made deck-based fighters MiG-29K/KUB. Later on, the contract cost grown up to $2.3 bln.

At present, Indian Navy operates one aircraft carrier INS Viraat. Besides, Indian designers work on the own carrier named INS Vikrant.