(NSI News Source Info) February 28, 2009: The Indian military confirmed
news reports on Wednesday that the country will formally lay the keel of a home-made aircraft carrier at the end of this month.
Indian Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta told local media that the country's first indigenous aircraft carrier will be in the waters by 2011 after a two-year construction.
"Our indigenous aircraft carrier is being constructed in Kochi (southern India). It has been three years since the work started. On Feb. 28, what we call keel laying of the carrier will take place," the local Indo-Asian News Service quoted Mehta as saying.
Local daily The Tribune reported on Wednesday that the 40,000- ton displacement vessel will be several times the capacity of naval worships that India has built so far.
"And with this, India will join a select band of NATO countries and Russia, which possesses the capability to build aircraft carrier," said the news report.
The navy chief said the building of a ship can be divided into seven phases: design, construction planning, work prior to keel laying, ship erection, launching, final outfitting, and sea trials.
He said many of the parts of the aircraft carrier have already been constructed and his estimation is that "it should be in the water in two years" with an estimated cost of 30 billion rupees ( 620 million U.S. dollars).
The Indian Navy has only one aircraft carrier, the INS Viraat.
The Indian military expects to have three aircraft carriers by 2015 to own a true blue water navy.
The Tribune said the carrier will have a crew of 1,400 officers and sailors and carry 30 aircraft in a mix of the MiG-29K, the Dhruv advanced light helicopter and the Kamov-31 Helix anti- submarine warfare helicopter.
news reports on Wednesday that the country will formally lay the keel of a home-made aircraft carrier at the end of this month.
Indian Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta told local media that the country's first indigenous aircraft carrier will be in the waters by 2011 after a two-year construction.
"Our indigenous aircraft carrier is being constructed in Kochi (southern India). It has been three years since the work started. On Feb. 28, what we call keel laying of the carrier will take place," the local Indo-Asian News Service quoted Mehta as saying.
Local daily The Tribune reported on Wednesday that the 40,000- ton displacement vessel will be several times the capacity of naval worships that India has built so far.
"And with this, India will join a select band of NATO countries and Russia, which possesses the capability to build aircraft carrier," said the news report.
The navy chief said the building of a ship can be divided into seven phases: design, construction planning, work prior to keel laying, ship erection, launching, final outfitting, and sea trials.
He said many of the parts of the aircraft carrier have already been constructed and his estimation is that "it should be in the water in two years" with an estimated cost of 30 billion rupees ( 620 million U.S. dollars).
The Indian Navy has only one aircraft carrier, the INS Viraat.
The Indian military expects to have three aircraft carriers by 2015 to own a true blue water navy.
The Tribune said the carrier will have a crew of 1,400 officers and sailors and carry 30 aircraft in a mix of the MiG-29K, the Dhruv advanced light helicopter and the Kamov-31 Helix anti- submarine warfare helicopter. 
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