Indian Navy to receive Rs2,641 crore aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya on Saturday

India will induct the Rs2,641 crore aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya into its navy on Saturday.

The induction will take place in the presence of visiting Indian Defence Minister A K Antony and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, besides senior government and naval officials of the two nations.

The induction ceremony will take place at the Sevmash Shipyard, Russia's nuclear submarine building centre.

The INS Vikramaditya is a Kiev class aircraft carrier that was commissioned by the Russian Navy in 1987 under the name, Baku. It was later renamed as Admiral Gorshkov and last sailed in 1995 in Russia, before being offered to India.

The 44,500-tonne warship with a length of 284 metres will have MiG-29K naval combat aircraft along with Kamov 31 and Kamov 28 anti-submarine warfare and maritime surveillance helicopters.

After years of negotiations, an agreement to hand over the ship to India was inked in 2004 after retrofitting.

The aircraft carrier will have more than 1,600 personnel on board, a complement of indigenously-built ALH Dhruv choppers and SeaKing helicopters, besides state-of-the art weaponry, including MiG-29K naval combat aircraft and Kamov 31 and Kamov 28 anti-submarine warfare and maritime surveillance helicopters.

More: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-indian-navy-to-receive-rs2641-crore-aircraft-carrier-ins-vikramaditya-on-saturday-1919924

High-tech trainer aircraft for IAF school in Tambaram

The Flying Instructors School, Tambaram, among the Indian Air Force’s premier training establishments, will soon be home to one of the most advanced trainer aircraft — the Switzerland-made Pilatus PC-7 Mk II turbo trainer flights.

Fifteen aircraft will be brought to the school by 2015, Air Commodore Sukumar Prabhakaran, Air-Officer-Commanding-in Chief, Tambaram Station, said in an interaction with press persons on Friday. The School (FIS) produces training pilots, who in turn provide basic training to the ‘rookie’ pilots of the defence forces.

The Pilatus aircraft will join a fleet that comprises Kiran Mk I and Mk II aircraft and Cheetah and Chetak Helicopters, Air Cmdr. Prabhakaran said. The senior officer said the best pilots from the IAF, Army and Naval Aviation and the Coast Guard, who had logged several hours of flying fighter, transporter and other aircraft are selected through a rigorous process and in turn, trained for 24 weeks at FIS. At the end, they would be given a certificate, enabling them to become ‘trainer of trainers.’

“The officers completing this course provide training to fresh young recruits in various flying units,” said Air Cmdr. Prabhakaran. Meanwhile, sources in the IAF said a total of 75 Pilatus PC-7 Mk II aircraft will be joining various training commands by the middle of 2015. A fleet of such aircraft, each of them costing over Rs. 31 crore were already operational in Air Force Academy, Dundigal, Hyderabad. The Pilatus boasts several advanced features such as modern avionics and near-complete digital controls, replacing the analog ones.

After its establishment in Tambaram, the school depended mainly on the HAT 2, which was in operation till 1989, after which they were replaced by HPT 32 aircraft.

The latter was replaced by the Kiran Mk II due to the high number of crashes and deaths. As part of the 81st anniversary celebrations of IAF, officials in Tambaram Station organised a number of competitions and events for its personnel and their family members and also its civilian staff.

Credits: thehindu