India building copycat version of Britain's HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier

dr.gautam · 发表于 2019-05-07 03:28:21

EXCLUSIVE: Talks are under way for India's navy to buy detailed plans for the 65,000-tonne warship and build a new version called INS Vishal in 2022[br][br]

[br]If the deal is given the green light, the warship would be built in India but UK companies could supply many of the parts (Image: PA)[br]India is planning to build a copycat version of HMS Queen Elizabeth, Britain’s state-of-the-art supercarrier.[br][br]Talks are under way for its navy to buy detailed plans for the 65,000-ton warship and build a new version called INS Vishal in 2022.[br][br]An Indian delegation has already visited Rosyth dockyard in Scotland where HMS Queen Elizabeth was assembled and where a second supercarrier, HMS Prince of Wales, is now being built.[br][br]If a deal can be agreed, the new warship would be built in India but UK companies could supply many of the parts.[br][br]It would serve alongside India’s 45,000-ton carrier INS Vikramaditya – bought from Russia in 2004 – and the future 40,000-ton INS Vikrant, giving the nation a larger carrier fleet than Britain, its former colonial ruler.[br][br]

[br]India aims to buy the detailed plans (Image: PA)[br]The Indians want to use heavier aircraft than the F-35B short and vertical take-off jets now being tested on Queen Elizabeth, which would mean constructing different launch systems.[br][br]Defence Minister Stuart Andrew is staying tight-lipped about a possible deal. He said: “We have regular discussions with India on a range of equipment and capability issues. It would be inappropriate to comment further.”[br][br]The design for UK aircraft carriers is owned by the British and French aerospace giants BAE and Thales. A BAE spokeswoman said: “Discussion have begun with India. The design can be modified to meet Indian Navy and local industry requirements.”[br][br]

[br]The new version of HMS Queen Elizabeth is set to be called INS Vishal and completed in 2022 (Image: PA)[br]The planned deal follows the sale of Falklands War carrier HMS Hermes to India in 1987. She was renamed INS Viraat and decommissioned two years ago.[br][br][br]However, the “Elizabeth Class” carriers have been dogged by controversy. The original bill for the two ships doubled to £6.2billion and there have been repeated claims that Britain would end up with carriers but no planes.[br][br]In fact the Queen Elizabeth is on track to launch F-35Bs, but to date it has carried mainly helicopters..[br][br][br][br][br]source. : Mirror.