By IANS
Ghaziabad : Admitting to "problems" in the acquisition of Russian-built aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov for the Indian Navy, Defence Minister A.K. Antony said Saturday that efforts were being made to sort them out.
"There are problems. We are trying to sort them out," Antony cryptically told reporters on the sidelines of a function in this suburban town where he inaugurated a defence research laboratory set up by Bharat Electronics.
He was responding to queries on the delay in inducting the aircraft carrier, renamed INS Vikramaditya, caused by Russia's reported insistence on raising the $1.5 billion price tag for the vessel, and also that the money be paid in euros and not dollars as had previously been agreed to.
Indian Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta has repeatedly been stating that the vessel would be inducted by the end of this year or early next year as had originally been planned. However, Antony's statement Saturday makes it clear that the deadline would not be met.
The defence minister refused to specify what the "problems" were and when the issue would be resolved.
Defence Secretary Shekhar Dutt had made a hurried visit to Russia last month to discuss the issue but no common ground could be found either on the Gorshkov deal or on that for the purchase of additional Sukhoi SU-30MKI combat jets for the Indian Air Force (IAF), the price of which the Russians have also hiked.
A high-level Russian delegation is expected here later this month for discussing the price issue but defence analysts pointed out that given the firm stance of both sides, a way out could perhaps be found only when Antony makes a planned visit to Russia in October.
The Gorshkov, in fact, has been mired in controversy almost from the time she was commissioned into the then Soviet Navy in 1987.
Gorshkov is one of four carriers the Soviet Union built at the height of the Cold War. The first three, the Kiev, Minsk and Novorossyisk saw operational service in the Soviet Navy during the late 1970s and the 1980s. With the end of the Cold War, the Russians could no longer sustain a fleet with so many carriers and all three were sold for scrap in the early 1990s.
Gorshkov, earlier called the Baku, was the last to he completed and did not become operational until 1986. However, her operational career was cut short when a devastating fire crippled the vessel in 1994. Although repaired, Gorshkov never saw operational service in the Russian Navy and was finally mothballed in 1996.
By that time, the Indian Navy had been reduced to just one carrier, with INS Vikrant having been retired and INS Viraat undergoing repeated refits to enhance her operational life.
After protracted negotiations, India and Russia on Jan 20, 2004, signed a deal to buy the Gorshkov, along with 12 single-seat MiG-29 fighters and four twin-seat MiG-29 trainers for $1.5 billion.
Of this, approximately $800 was to be spent on upgrading and refitting the ship and $700 million on the 16 MiG-29 jets and six Kamov Ka-31 attack and reconnaissance anti-submarine helicopters.
The upgrade plans involve stripping the ship's foredeck of all its weaponry to make way for short take-off and assisted recovery configuration with a 14.3 degree ski-jump on the bow and three arrestor wires on the angled deck.