India to Get Rebuilt Russian Aircraft Carrier in June 2013

12.11.2012 Russia plans to deliver aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya in June 2013, said vice president of United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) Sergei Forafonov at the handover ceremony of frigate INS Tarkash.

"We have agreed with Indian partners that aircraft carrier Vikramaditya will be delivered after replacement of boiler insulation in 2013", reports ITAR-TASS citing Forafonov.

The USC vice president reminded that the carrier's boiler insulation being redesigned on demand of Indian party broke down during sea trials.

"That wasn't a design fault, those insulating materials were put upon demand of the Indian partners. They overlooked all vibration characteristics and hull movement deformations", he pointed out.

"At last, we got just what should happen", stressed Forafonov.

As for him, "the boilers will be coated with another material, and Indian partners have put up with that. They've signed all appropriate papers". The works will be done by the Baltiysky Zavod shipyard which manufactured boilers for the carrier.

"In the next year, aircraft carrier Vikramaditya will be fully recovered and handed over to Indian Navy", stated Forafonov having specified the date as June 2013.

President of USC Andrei Diachkov stated late in Oct 2012 that Russia would hand over the ship to India by the end of Oct 2013.

Prior to that, Russia rejected India's claims for delay penalty. Reportedly, India could receive $115 mln compensation for delayed delivery of the carrier.

India was supposed to receive Vikramaditya (former Russian aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Gorshkov) back in 2008, but then the deadline was prolonged up to Dec 4, 2012. As was reported in Oct, Indian Navy would get the warship not earlier than in 2013 due to problems of boilers and propulsion plant.

It is planned to eliminate all defects at Sevmash shipyard (Severodvinsk) by the summer of 2013, hold sea trials and deliver the ship to Indian Navy in fourth quarter of 2013, said ex-defense minister Anatoly Serdiukov.

The contract for retrofitting of Russian aircraft carrying cruiser Admiral Gorshkov was tied with India in 2004. After completion, the light aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya will become the flagship of Indian Navy.

The contract provided $974 mln for refitting and modernization of the carrier, and $530 mln for sixteen deck-based fighters MiG-29K, antisubmarine helicopters Ka-28, and radar observation helicopters Ka-31.