New Delhi/Moscow:
Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov's delivery timeframe to India has been delayed yet again after snags in boiler linings were noticed during full-power trials. The aircraft carrier was to be handed over to Indian Navy this December, and was expected to reach Indian shores by April-May next year, but now it appears that it will reach only by June-July.
India, however, is not sure about how many of the eight boilers have this snag. Russia, too hasn't conveyed officially conveyed to India. Indian Navy, it is understood, learnt about the boiler snags from the sailors who are undergoing training.
The ship was originally supposed to have been delivered by 2009 but it's handing over to the Indian Navy has been marred by cost overruns among other issues.
The ship, rechristened INS Vikramaditya, was scheduled for commissioning into the Indian Navy by December 4, this year.
The deal for the aircraft carrier was signed in 2004 but the price of the ship was renegotiated and later put at USD 2.3 billion after repeated cost revision demands by the Russian side for repair and overhaul. The ship will be part of Indian Navy's plans to operate an aircraft carrier in each of its two seaboards.
At the moment, its only operational aircraft carrier is the INS Viraat, which is in the last leg of its service after having gone through several upgrades.
Admiral Gorshkov was a Kiev class aircraft carrier laid down in 1978 at Nikolayev South in Ukraine, launched in 1982, and commissioned in 1987.
(
With PTI inputs)