Commanding officer says the navy will induct a new aircraft carrier next year
The Indian Navy will be acquiring another aircraft carrier for its fleet, commander of visiting Indian naval ship revealed here yesterday.
Rear Admiral Shekhar Sinha, Flag Officer Commanding India's Western Fleet and heading INS Rajput which, along with INS Betwa, is on a friendly call at Port Zayed, said the new carrier will be commissioned after its delivery next year.
He said the port call was part of India's expression of solidarity with the region.
"The Indian Navy will get the new aircraft carrier from Russia to be delivered in 2008, and has also started building its own indigenously designed aircraft carrier.
"The navy has also ordered 33 ships as part of its long-term expansion plan," he said during a tour onboard INS Rajput.
Sinha said the ship is on its first goodwill mission to the UAE.
He said the vessel, which is a member of Mumbai-based Western Fleet of Indian Navy, was the first ship to be fitted with BrahMos missiles.
India developed the 290km range missile jointly with Russia and, according to Sinha, it will be deployed on Indian Navy warships.
Sinha said the ship is equipped with an array of weapons and sensors designed for multi-dimensional combat operations.
"After Rajput, all other naval ships will be eventually equipped with BrahMos in the near future," he said.
INS Rajput is also accompanied by another naval vessel, INS Betwa. The ships will also visit other Gulf countries such as Muscat, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait.
Indian Ambassador Talmiz Ahmed during a press conference onboard the ship, said the Indo-US nuclear deal is "India specific" and aims at purely meeting the country's growing demand for energy security for civilian purposes.
Ahmed said: "With the signing of the nuclear deal with the US, India can now rank itself at par with the international community. What we are negotiating is an 'enabling agreement' and the deal is good for the country," he said.
The ambassador also made a brief comment on India's relations with its neighbour Pakistan and said the country is committed to good relationships with all its neighbouring countries.
INS Rajput
INS Rajput, flying the flag of Rear Admiral Shekhar Sinha, Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet, is the first Kashin II class guided missile destroyer.
She is fitted with an array of weapons and sensors and is designed for multi-dimensional combat operations. The capability of the ship has been further enhanced by the fitment and successful firing of the indigenous BrahMos surface-tosurface missile. The ship is commanded by Captain AK Jain.
INS Betwa
INS Betwa is the second ship of the three indigenously built Brahmaputra Class guided missile frigates. The ship was designed by the Indian Navy's Directorate of Naval Design, built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, Kolkata, and commissioned on July 7, 2004. The ship marks yet another milestone in the Indian Navy's drive towards indigenisation in that, the ship is Indian in design, construction, in her propulsion package as well as her state-of-the-art sensor and weapon suite.
INS Betwa embodies the very cutting-edge of technology and is capable of neutralising threats in all the three dimensions, on the surface, underwater or in the airspace above. The 3,600 tonne INS Betwa is powered by two steam turbines and is capable of speeds in excess of 30 knots.
By Nissar Hoath
© Emirates Today 2007
