INS Vishal: India, UK in talks to replicate Naval Supercarrier

According to reports, India is in talks with the United Kingdom (UK) for building a new state-of-the-art aircraft carrier that would be replicate (copycat version) of Britain’s HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier as part of ongoing ‘Make in India’ negotiations. It will be named ‘INS Vishal’ in 2022 and will become Indian Navy’s largest warship.

Key Highlights

• As talks are underway for Indian Navy to buy detailed plans for British Warship, an Indian deputation have already paid a visit to Rosyth dockyard (in Scotland) where HMS Queen Elizabeth was assembled. Currently second supercarrier, HMS Prince of Wales, is being built there.
• The design for UK aircraft carriers is owned by British and French aerospace giants BAE and Thales. They have begun discussion with India and proposed that carrier’s design can be modified to meet Indian Navy and local industry requirements.
• Once agreed upon deal, the new warship would be built in India (under Make in India initiative) but UK companies could supply many of its parts.
• The new Naval carrier would serve alongside India’s INS Vikramaditya (a 45,000-ton carrier which was bought from Russia in 2004) and INS Vikrant (a 40,000-ton carrier which is currently under-construction). This could give India a larger carrier fleet than Britain.
• The India-UK Naval deal which is yet to fructify would follow sale of Britain’s Falklands War carrier HMS Hermes to India in 1987, which was later renamed INS Viraat (it was decommissioned in 2017).

HMS Queen Elizabeth

It is a 65,000-ton British warship. It is largest warships ever built for Royal Navy and is capable of carrying up to 60 aircraft (or up to 40 F-35B fighter). It was named in honour of Queen Elizabeth I.

Month: Current Affairs - May, 2019