India’s Gorshkov dream delayed by a year

New Delhi, October 10: The delivery date of floating deck cruiser Admiral Gorshkov slipped by a year, Russia made it official on Wednesday, even as India remained non-committal on imposing a financial penalty on the Russian shipyard as it failed to honour the contract that had finalized December 4, 2012 as the delivery date.

 

 

Even as the biggest irritant in the Indo-Russian defence trade – often termed as the “White Elephant” indicating the steep cost escalation of the warships - was far from being removed, both countries firmed up contracts for another 42 Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets and 59 helicopters.

According to sources, India conveyed its “serious concerns” about the delay of Gorhskov to be rechristened as INS Vikramaditya to visiting Russian Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov during the 12th India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military Technical Cooperation Russia. However, Moscow washed its hands off the delay caused in the project saying it cannot be held responsible for the trial malfunction.

Addressing a joint press conference, Russian Defence Minister Serdyukov said: “The ship encountered big malfunction with the main power plant and the boiler. Right now the ship is relocated to the factory.” The Russian technicians are examining the cause of the malfunction and the 44,570 tonnes Kiev class aircraft carrier at Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk will only begin its trial in April 2013.

The Gorshkov programme had suffered a setback when after 90 days of sailing in the Barent Sea; seven of the eight boilers of the warship did not function at its maximum power limit. Sources indicate that the Russian shipyard might escalate the cost for the refurbishment of the warship as the Russians are claiming that it was the Indian Navy that insisted on bricks insulation for the boilers rather than the traditional asbestos coating and would therefore claim more in the name of dry dock maintenance.

“We have handed over the revised time overhaul and transfer schedule to the Indian side and we believe that transfer of the ship will take place in the 4th quarter of the 2013,” Serdykov added.

While Indian Defence Minister AK Antony insisted that the early delivery of the aircraft carrier was the primary concern of New Delhi, on the issue of imposing penalty on Sevmash shipyard for another delay in the project that has been marred by delays and price escalation saying: “This is not the time to discuss it.” The contract provides for levying a penalty ranging from .5 to 5 percent of the cost of the warship depending on the delay in the delivery.

The acquisition of Admiral Gorshkov has been full of the price escalation saga. Offered as a gift to the Indian Navy in the beginning, the Russians had used the warship to arm-twist the Indian government to cough up more money that was used to bail out the cash-strapped Sevmash shipyard. The soviet-vintage aircraft carrier was built under 1143.4 class aircraft carrier project and these carriers have a history of boiler failures during their service lives. The warship was launched into the sea in 1982 and commissioned into the Soviet navy in 1987. Gorshkov had to be docked in 1994 after a boiler room explosion in 1994. It returned to services in 1995 for a brief time and was finally put up for sale in 1996.

India and Russia signed the contract in 2004 for a package deal of $1.5 billion that included $974 million for its refit and the rest for the 16 MiG-29 K fighter jets. The initial delivery date was in 2008.

However project hit the headlines in 2007 when Russia said that it will not be able to meet its initial deadline of 2008 and pushed it back to 2010 and demanded upped the price to $2.9 billion. After years of strenuous price re-negotiations the deal was re-inked at $2.33 billion in 2010 and December 2012 was fixed as the delivery time.

BrahMos hits bulls eye from INS Teg

Statement issued by BrahMos

 

"The Indian Navy successfully flight tested BrahMos supersonic cruise missile in combat mode from guided missile frigate INS Teg off the Goa coast today on the 07th of October 2012, at  0700 hrs .

File photo of vertical launch of BrahMos from a warship

The missile performed high-level maneuvers at two given points in a scenario of evading detection by enemies’ radars and successfully hit the target ship at a distance of 290 kms . The decommissioned target ship was completely devastated by the huge kinetic energy of impact. By the time naval helicopter reached the target point the ship was completely on fire.

INS Teg is the first ship of the  three follow on of Talwar-class (Project 1135.6) frigates namely 'Teg', 'Tarkash' and 'Trikand' . All the three ships will be equipped with 8 vertical launched BrahMos missile system as the prime strike weapon. The frigates are being built by the Kaliningrad-based shipyard Yantar in Russia, for the Indian Navy.

Indian Navy commissioned INS Teg on April 27, 2012 after the successful Installation Test Firing of BRAHMOS in the Baltic Sea on 30th November 2011.  

The advanced warship has been fitted with an upgraded multi-role combat suite to make it one of the most potent platforms of the Indian Navy.

The new missile frigates are designed to accomplish a wide range of maritime missions, primarily hunting down and destroying large surface ships and submarines.

The vertical launch configuration of BrahMos enhances the stealth capabilities of the ship as the missiles are under deck and not exposed. The Universal Vertical Launcher (UVLM) being used in these ships is also a unique design, designed and patented by BrahMos Aerospace. The same also ensures maneuvering of the missile in any direction after launch, independent of ship movement providing the surprise attack concepts to the ships.

The warship has been built as part of a contract signed between India and Russia in July, 2006. Two other frigates of the class – INS Tarkash and INS Trikand – are at different stages of construction at Russia’s Yantar shipyard.

The Yantar Shipyard is also building three similar ships of 1135.6 class for the Russian Navy."

Peep into Indian naval warships in Oman

Indian Navy's ships, including its lone aircraft carrier INS Viraat, are on their western deployment to Oman.INS Viraat will be opened for Omani and Indian nationals from 10am to 4pm tomorrow (June 22).

Visitors to the ship have to carry proof of their identity.

Visitors have also been requested to park their vehicles at Jibroo yard and collect coupons for entry into the port. Coupons will also be available on Indian School Darsait premises. Shuttle buses would be available for visitors to ferry them to the ships from the parking area.

India-Oman relations are exceptionally close, having reached the level of a strategic partnership and it is in this framework that Indian naval ships will be making a port call to Muscat between June 21 and June 23.

The ships coming to Muscat include aircraft carrier INS Viraat, stealth frigate INS Talwar and indigenously built guided missile frigate INS Ganga. These three ships are part of the Western Fleet of the Indian Navy. Captain AB Singh, VSM, Commanding Officer of the aircraft carrier INS Viraat is the Officer in Tactical Command for this Carrier Task Group.

Pics from Indo-Chinese Passex

Six years after Indian Naval ships gave a port call at a Chinese port. Here are some pics of the Passex conducted between two countries.

On completion of the four day visit to Shanghai, INS Shivalik and PLA(N) Ma’anshan conducted passage exercises comprising naval manouevers, communication exercises and cross deck helicopter landings. 

Photos Courtesy Indian Navy

Russian-built INS Teg commissioned

The Talwar-class (Krivak-III) frigate, Teg, will be commissioned into the the Indian Navy at Yantar shipyard at St. Petersberg by Vice Admiral K.N. Sushil on Friday. This will be commanded  by Captain Rakesh Kumar Dahiya. It will be the first stealth frigate to be equipped with BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles. These missiles have so far been fitted on Rajput class destroyers.

Genesis of Teg

Teg is an ancient word meaning a short, single–edged curved sword, broadest at the handle, traditionally used by the Sikhs who are famous for their valour and martial skills in the battlefield. A ‘Teg’ has been wielded by many a brave warrior in righteous battle to overcome the oppressors and safeguard the weak.

Symbolically, ‘Teg’ is a weapon which strikes at the very roots of Agyan or Avidya (lack of knowledge), and brings forth enlightenment, independence and reform. In a broader connotation, Teg stands for chastisement of all that is evil and protection of good.

The ship’s crest embodies two crossed swords against the blue sky and ocean waves which symbolise Strength, Responsibility and Commitment to a righteous cause.

The ship’s motto ‘Towards Eternal Glory ’ ‘अभिमुखम  अनन्त यशम’ truly reflects the indomitable spirit of the ship and her crew, the will to fight for what is honest and truthful, and to surmount the most challenging odds in pursuit of Victory

A legend is born

INS Teg, a Follow-On Project 1135.6 Class of Frigate, is a modern and contemporary Warship with advanced technologies incorporated in every facet of design to make her stable, stealthy, fast and formidable. A versatile and capable vessel, she is an icon of Indo-Russian Military co-operation and heralds a new dimension in this strategic partnership.

The Teg class of ships have been built to meet the specific Command and Control needs of the Indian Navy for co-ordinated Surface, Air and Underwater missions.

An advanced version of the Talwar class guided missile frigates already in service with the Indian Navy, these ships have been fitted out with an upgraded multi-role combat suite to make them one of the most potent platforms of the Navy.

Weapon compliment

The weapons suite of the ship includes Surface-to-Air and Surface-to-Surface missile systems, 100 mm medium range gun, Close-in Weapon System, Torpedo tubes and Anti-Submarine rockets.

The ‘BrahMos’ Surface-to-Surface missile system, a joint venture between India and Russia, is capable of engaging targets at extended ranges at supersonic speeds and is perhaps the best missile in its class.

The ship also embarks and operates an anti-submarine or an airborne early warning helicopter– a dominant force multiplier.

With its advanced weapons suite and sensors fully integrated with its Combat Management System, the ship is equipped to augment the Indian Navy’s Net Centric capability, and is well suited to undertake a broad spectrum of maritime missions, from traditional military roles to those involving low intensity maritime operations and crisis management.

To meet the paramount need for stealth in the current combat environment, Teg incorporates innovative stealth technologies to reduce her radar cross section, infrared and magnetic signatures, as well as radiated underwater noise.

Propulsion and Damage Control

The ship is powered by an advanced gas turbine propulsion plant (COGAG – Combined Gas And Gas) with state of the art Controls, delivering 56,000 hp of power to attain speeds in excess of 30 knots.

The unique design of the propulsion plant enables the warship to seamlessly change over propulsion modes in different operational regimes. The automated power generation and auxiliary machinery control systems installed on the ship further augment the fighting efficiency of the ship.

The ship has been equipped with complex automated systems for nuclear, biological and chemical defence, damage control and fire fighting that can be operated centrally from sheltered posts to minimize casualties and achieve rapid restoration of combat effectiveness.

The Crew

The heart and soul of the ship and the driving power into any battle are the men onboard the ship. Teg is manned by a crew of 24 officers and 229 sailors. It would be interesting to note that the individual crew members speak 15 different languages as their 'mother tongue' and follow six different religious faiths - A true microcosm of the diversity, and unity of India.

The Crew of the ship, hand-picked from various ships and establishments of the Navy, and trained extensively both in India and Russia, consider it their proud privilege to commission the country’s newest Warship and sail her back to India. While many future crews will man the ship in her long service life, the commissioning crew will always have a unique place in her history.

Captain of the ship

The ship is commanded by Captain Rakesh Kumar Dahiya, a 'Communication and Electronic Warfare' specialist, who was commissioned into the Indian Navy in 1987. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy and the Defence Services Staff College, Captain Dahiya has undergone various courses in India and abroad including the Higher Command Course at the National Institute of Defence Studies, Tokyo, Japan. He has held various important afloat and staff appointments including tenures as Joint Director of Personnel at the Integrated Headquarters, Ministry of Defence (Navy) and Officer-in-Charge, Operational Sea Training, Mumbai. He has commanded two ships prior being selected to command INS Teg as her first Captain.

CAG fears for Navy’s old INS Jalashwa come true?

Mumbai, December 21, 2011: The apprehensions of the Comptroller and Audit General (CAG) over the Indian Navy going for the “ageing ship” USS Trenton (rechristened as INS Jalashwa) in a “hasty manner” seem to have come true. Within few years of induction the warship is undergoing heavy refurbishment for the past over 6 months because of which it even missed the Presidential Fleet Review (PFR) held here on Tuesday.

CAG had rapped the Indian Navy for acquiring the nearly 37-year-old amphibious warship without proper “physical assessment” for USD 50.63 million in 2006-07. The Indian Navy had bought the ship at 10 percent of the original cost when the US Navy had decided to phase it out. The navy had paid an additional USD 36.94 million, more than half of the price of the platform, for getting it retrofitted. 

“The warship had gone for repairs in July this year to Visakhapatnam and the work is still on. These are routine repairs,” said a senior Indian Navy official. Because of the ongoing repair activity, the second largest warship of the navy could not participate in 2011 PFR, the scintillating display of 81 warships and submarines and; 44 aircrafts.

Just before the CAG report punched holes through the acquisition, one officer and five sailors were killed due to leakage of toxic hydrogen sulphide from sewage pipes. The US Navy had also suffered a similar accident few years earlier.  

Following the incident the CAG report said that the ship had already outlived a major part of service life, envisaged to be 40 years and so the decision of its procurement “does not appear to be prudent”. 

However, the Indian Navy defended its decision to buy the platform as it was cheaper and will increase the force’s capability to deploy large number of troops and assets over large distances. With view of the capacity of the ship, the navy deployed it for evacuation of Indians from Libya.

The navy had contended that the ship would run for another 12 to 15 years. The claim was dismissed by CAG as baseless.

The navy had also purchased six helicopters at an additional USD 39 million to operate from the ship. At 16,900 tonne INS Jalashwa is the second largest warship in the fleet after the 28,000 tonne aircraft carrier INS Viraat.