UK pitches to design Indian aircraft carriers, Navy weighing its options

Choosing between US & UK 'a dilemma', says Navy chief

Battles are raging around the Navy’s proposed third aircraft carrier, INS Vishal, even though it is still on the drawing board. There is a bitter inter-services debate over whether India can afford another carrier. The Navy is also weighing competing claims from the US and the UK over who should provide design expertise.

Since 2015, the US Navy has guided the design of INS Vishal. But now, the UK’s Royal Navy is offering its partnership on the grounds that INS Vishal is more similar to a British aircraft carrier.

In January 2015, the Indian and US Navies established a joint