16.05.2008
An Indian Navy representative says negotiations over the takeover of the aircraft carrier “Admiral Gorshkov” will continue until after summer this year and that the country’s armed forces expect to include the vessel in its navy in year 2012.
According to Korabelnaya Storona, the aircraft carrier was on the agenda when official Indian representative Sailendran Madusudanan recently met with speaker of the Arkhangelsk regional parliament Vitalii Fortygin.
In the meeting, Mr. Madusudanan expressed confidence that the problems with the vessel will be resolved and that it will be included in the Indian Navy in 2012.
Russia and India in 2004 signed a 617 million USD deal on the Indian acquisition of the aircraft carrier. According to the contract, the vessel was to be upgraded by the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk, Arkhangelsk Oblast, and handed over to Indian in 2008. Last year however Sevmash announced that the vessel would become more than a billion USD more expensive than planned and that it could be handed over only several years after schedule.
The announcement spurred major irritation in India, which threatened to refuse a revision of the contract conditions.
Source:
, photo: militaryparitet.com
