INS Vikramaditya Failed Sea Trials

17.09.2012 Sea trials of aircraft-carrying cruiser INS Vikramaditya (former Admiral Gorshkov) were held with serious troubles, so the date of the ship's delivery to Indian Navy can be postponed again, writes Kommersant on Sept 17.

As was said by a source in Rosoboronexport, during the carrier's powerplant trial run, seven out of eight steam boilers broke down. Reportedly, the accident probably was caused by India's refusal to use traditional asbestos as thermal insulator for boilers because of high danger to the crew. Indians wanted to use fireproof bricks instead.

At present, experts must decide how to transport the aircraft carrier to the docks, since INS Vikramaditya cannot return by own power with only one boiler operating. Upon arrival to Sevmash shipyard, specialists will have to determine whether broken-down details are repairable or must be replaced.

Although INS Vikramaditya was supposed to join Indian Navy on Dec 4, due to revealed defects the deadline will be definitely postponed so that India would receive the carrier not earlier than Oct 2013, said the insider.

Aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya will be handed over to Indian Navy in accordance with the contract signed in 2004. The ship is to join Indian Navy for free, but only being modernized in Russia and equipped with Russian fighters MiG-29K/KUB. When the agreement was signed, it cost $1.5 bln but later on was extended up to $2.3 bln.