(a) whether the Government propose to purchase a major warship from Russia;
(b) if so, the details thereof alongwith its specifications and the probable cost;
(c) the extent to which it is likely to meet the requirement of Indian Navy; and
(d) the time by which this warship is likely to arrive in India alongwith its life span and the present status of the proposal?
MINISTER OF DEFENCE (SHRI GEORGE
FERNANDES)
(a) to (d): 1. The Government of the Russian
Federation have offered to gift ‘Admiral
Gorshkov’, an aircraft carrier to India. The ship
will have standard displacement of 34000 MT.
2. The ship will, however, need to be repaired,
modified and modernized at the cost of the
Government of India before it can be inducted into
the service of the Navy.
3. The ship, after modernization, will be able
to operate a mix of aircrafts and will provide
required integral air power to the Carrier Task
Force at sea for a period of 20 years.
4. An Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) on the
subject is being discussed between the two sides
for finalization.