The vessel, which originally carried the name “Baku” and later “Admiral Gorshkov”, crossed the border to Russia on the evening of December 7 and is heading towards India, shipyard Sevmash’ web site reads.
There are some 180 Russian specialists on board the warship who are tasked with monitoring the vessel’s overall performance and the on-site training of the Indian crew, as well as providing assistance in fixing any possible glitches in the operation of the ship’s systems
On the way from Severodvinsk the ship has been loaded with fuel twice – once in the White Sea and once in Murmansk, while waiting for a storm in the Barents Sea to calm. The carrier is followed by two other Indian vessels – the frigate “Trikand” and the tanker “Deepak”.
“Vikramaditya” is planned to reach its permanent base in the Karwar naval base near Goa in southwestern India in two months, Defense-update writes.
After a complete overhaul, the ship got a new flight deck and a ski-jump ramp for MiG-29K jet fighters, navigation, radar, communication and flight control systems, other equipment and units. Russia also trained an Indian crew of about 1,500 personnel and will build infrastructure for the aircraft carrier in the Indian Ocean. The ship is expected to operate for 25-30 years.
Its full water displacement is 45,000 tonnes, maximum length is 283.5 metres and maximum width is 59.8 metres (increased by 8.8 metres from the original ship). The ship can carry 30 aircraft and has a crew of about 2,000 members, Voice of Russia writes.
