Karwar to host aircraft carrier

The country’s second aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, being commissioned in Russia on November 16, will be stationed at the Karwar Naval base in Karnataka, a top Navy officer today said.

The 44,570-tonne warship, formerly known as Admiral Gorskhov, is being commissioned into Navy by Defence Minister A K Antony after which it would be brought to Karwar, Vice-Admiral Shekhar Sinha, Flag Officer Commanding in Chief of Western Naval Command, said. The ship will take a month to reach India.

With the commissioning of Vikramaditya, Navy’s reach and ability to respond in real time to developing situations in our area of responsibility would see a quantum leap, Sinha told reporters in a brief interaction after commissioning the first ALH (Dhruv) squadron here.

There has been huge cost overalls and delay in the delivery of the ship, whose repair and refitting work began in April 2004. The ALH will be used for coastal security and maritime patrolling besides search and rescue, he said.

India had launched its first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant in August, thus joining the elite club of nations with the capability of designing and building a warship of this size and capability. The ship is expected to be ready for trials in 2016 and is likely to be inducted into Navy by 2018.

Meanwhile, Vice Admiral Sinha, Flag Officer Commanding in Chief Western Naval Command commissioned the first ALH (Dhruv) squadron at INS Garuda, at the Southern Naval Command.

Dhruv is the first indigenously-designed and manufactured helicopter at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The squadron would have the name Indian Naval Air Squadron (INAS) 322. Addressing the commissioning ceremony parade, Vice Admiral Sinha said that in the Navy, Dhruv helicopters have transformed into an advanced search and rescue (SAR) helicopter which is also used for missions like heli-borne operations and armed patrol with night vision devices.

Such machines have become imperative for the Navy given the scenario of low intensity maritime operations (LIMO) and coastal security construct. With the commissioning of the Vikramaditya, Navy’s reach and ability to respond in real time to developing situations would see a quantum jump.  Aerial assets like UAVs, MiG-29 K fighters, P-8I and Dhruv have added punch to the quiver,  he added.

Vice-Admiral Satish Soni, Flag Officer Commanding in Chief Southern Naval Command under whose administrative control INAS 322 would function, said that the versatile aircraft would soon be cleared for night SAR role, one of the few helicopters in the world to have that capability over sea. He also expressed satisfaction that the ALH would beef up the coast security architecture.

Earlier, Mona Sinha, wife of vice-admiral Shekhar Sinha, named the squadron as INAS 322 and unveiled the commissioning plaque. Commander Ravi Sivasankar, the first Commanding Officer of the Squadron recited the invocation and read out the commissioning warrant. The squadron will call themselves “Guardians” with the credo ‘Search Fearlessly, Rescue Valiantly’ signifying their primary role of SAR.