|
The ''Vikrant'' class ((サンスクリット:विक्रान्त)) (formerly ''Project 71 Air Defence Ship (ADS)'' or ''Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC)'') is a class of two aircraft carriers being built for the Indian Navy. The two vessels are the largest warships and the first aircraft carriers to be designed and built in India. They are being built by Cochin Shipyard. Preparations for building the lead vessel of the class, INS ''Vikrant'', started in 2008, and the keel was laid in February 2009. The carrier was floated out of its dry dock on 29 December 2011, and launched on 12 August 2013.〔(India launches first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant ) Times of India 12 August 2013〕 The scale and complexity of the project caused problems which delayed the commencement and timeline of construction for the carrier. Technical difficulties, the cost of refitting the Russian-built carrier INS Vikramaditya, and billions in cost overruns〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Should India Be Building Another Carrier? )〕 have delayed plans for the first of the vessels to enter service, which is now scheduled for 2018.〔 ==Background== In 1989 India announced a plan to replace its ageing British-built aircraft carriers, and , with two new 28,000 ton ''Air Defence Ships'' (ADS) that would operate the BAE Sea Harrier aircraft. The first vessel was to replace ''Vikrant'', which was set to decommission in early 1997. Construction of the ADS was to start at the Cochin Shipyard (CSL) in 1993 after the Indian Naval Design Organisation had translated this design study into a production model. Following the 1991 economic crisis, the plans for construction of the vessels were put on hold indefinitely. In 1999, then Defence Minister George Fernandes revived the project and sanctioned the construction of the Project 71 ADS.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Indian Aircraft Carrier (Project-71) )〕 By that time, given the ageing Sea Harrier fleet, the letter of intent called for a carrier that would carry more modern jet fighters. In 2001, CSL released a graphic illustration showing the 32,000-ton STOBAR (Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery) design with a pronounced ski jump. The aircraft carrier project finally received formal government approval in January 2003. By then, design updates called for a 37,500 ton carrier to operate the MiG-29K. India opted for a three-carrier fleet consisting of one carrier battle group stationed on each seaboard, and a third carrier held in reserve, in order to continuously protect both its flanks, to protect economic interests and mercantile traffic, and to provide humanitarian platforms in times of disasters, since a carrier can provide a self-generating supply of fresh water, medical assistance or engineering expertise to populations in need for assistance.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=India’s Future Aircraft Carrier Force and the Need for Strategic Flexibility )〕 In August 2006, then Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Arun Prakash stated that the designation for the vessel had been changed from Air Defence Ship (ADS) to Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC). The euphemistic ADS had been adopted in planning stages to ward off concerns about a naval build-up. Final revisions to the design increased the displacement of the carriers from 37,500 tons to over 40,000 tons. The length of the ship also increased from to over . 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Vikrant-class aircraft carrier」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|