INS Vishal

History
India
Name: INS Vishal
Commissioned: 2030 (Expected)[1]
Status: Planned (design phase)
General characteristics
Class and type: Vikrant-class aircraft carrier
Displacement: 65,000 tonnes[2][3]
Propulsion: Integrated electric propulsion System(IEPS)[4][5]
Aircraft carried: 50–55 fixed- and rotary-wing (planned) [6][7]

INS Vishal (Sanskrit: Vishal "giant"[8]) (IAC-II) is the follow-on class of aircraft carrier currently in its design phase, which will be built by Cochin Shipyard Limited for the Indian Navy. It is intended to be the first supercarrier to be built in India. The proposed design of the second carrier-class will be a new design, featuring significant changes from INS Vikrant (IAC-I), including an increase in displacement an EMALS CATOBAR system is also under consideration, and could be used to launch heavier aircraft.[9][10][11]

Design and development

In April 2011, Admiral Nirmal Kumar Verma stated that construction of the second carrier was some years away as there were a number of higher spending priorities for the navy.[12] The design stage of IAC-II began in 2012, and was undertaken by the navy’s Naval Design Bureau. The navy decided not to seek outside help in preparing the design concept and implementation plans, but might seek help from the Russian Design Bureau later to integrate Russian aircraft into Vishal. IAC-II is proposed to be a flat-top carrier with a displacement of 65,000 tonnes and might have a CATOBAR system, unlike the STOBAR system on IAC-I.[3][13][14][15] On 13 May 2015, Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) allotted Rs.30 crore for initial construction planning process of INS Vishal.[16][17]

Indian Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Dhowan said: “All options are open for the second indigenous aircraft carrier. Nothing has been ruled out. It could be nuclear powered.”[9] Indian Government signed an agreement with United States to form a Carrier Working group to identify areas of collaboration and they first met in August 2015.[18] Initially the carrier was planned to have a nuclear propulsion system but later decided change to Integrated Electric Propulsion System (IEPS) due to the complexities involved in developing a nuclear reactor of 500–550 Megawatts capacity will take 15–20 years.[10][11]

The Indian Navy has reached out to four international defence companies for suggestions with the design of Vishal. The letters of request (LoR) were sent to British firm BAE Systems, French firm DCNS, American firm Lockheed Martin and Russian firm Rosoboronexport on July 15, 2015, according to a report in Jane’s Navy International.[19] The letter asks the companies to “provide technical and costing proposals” for the IAC-II program.[19]

The Indian Navy evaluated the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), which is being used by the US Navy in their latest Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers. General Atomics, the developer of the EMALS, was cleared by the US government to give a technical demonstration to Indian Navy officers, who were impressed by the new capabilities of the system. The EMALS enables launching varied aircraft including unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV). The carrier was initially expected to enter service by the 2020s but latest reports (as of November 2016) suggests that it will enter service only by 2030 due to the technical challenges involved in assimilating and integrating several advanced technologies for the first time in an Indian carrier.[8][20][21][22] After the renewal of DTTI between India and the United States, it is possible that the EMALS could be produced in India with the assistance from General Atomics.[23] As of October 2017, The Trump administration has decided to give assistance to India by releasing the crucial Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) for the Indian Navy's future aircraft carrier INS Vishal, this decision came just ahead of US secretary of state Rex Tillerson's visit to India on 24 October 2017.[24]

Carrier air group

The decision regarding the carrier air battle group still remains unclear because of the lack any official comment regarding the subject but most experts speculate that it may consist of naval variant of Tejas Mk II as well as future 5th generation fighter jets like HAL AMCA and UCAVs like the DRDO AURA that the Indian Navy may choose to develop. In December 2016, the navy announced that the HAL Tejas is overweight for carrier operations, and alternatives will be explored.[25][26] In January 2017, an international offer was made for interest in a new carrier borne aircraft.

Naval planners believe that, with INS Vishal likely to enter service in the early 2030s, they should plan on operating UCAVs from that carrier, as well as an AEW aircraft, and medium and light fighters. According to a naval planner, it "could greatly expand our mission envelope with UCAVs, using the pilot-less aircraft for high-risk reconnaissance and SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses). Mid-air refueling would let us keep UCAVs on mission for 24–36 hours continuously, since pilot fatigue would not be a factor."[8]

References

  1. ↑ "New Aircraft Carrier For India".
  2. ↑ "Indian Navy Carrier Delegation Meets With U.S. Counterparts, Visits Carrier Ford". USNI News. Archived from the original on 11 October 2015.
  3. 1 2 "India plans a 65,000-tonne warship". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 25 December 2014.
  4. ↑ "NS Vishal Not to be Nuclear-powered as BARC Says 15 Years Will be Needed to Develop Reactor". 27 October 2017. Archived from the original on 29 October 2017.
  5. ↑ "Eye on future, India mulls options for nuclear-powered aircraft carrier]". Times of India. 1 August 2013. Archived from the original on 28 November 2015.
  6. ↑ "Dassault pitches Rafale M for Indian Navy's IAC-II". IHS Jane's 360. 12 February 2016. Archived from the original on 16 February 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  7. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 19 December 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  8. 1 2 3 Shukla, Ajai (31 May 2013). "Navy eyes high-tech options for future aircraft carriers". Business Standard. Archived from the original on 15 May 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  9. 1 2 Tribune News Service. "Navy's wish list: 6 nuke subs, N-powered carrier". Tribune India. Archived from the original on 17 January 2016.
  10. 1 2 Desk, India.com News (2017-10-27). "INS Vishal Not to be Nuclear-powered as BARC Says 15 Years Will be Needed to Develop Reactor". India.com. Retrieved 2017-10-30.
  11. 1 2 "Indian Navy won't get a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier anytime soon". Moneycontrol. Retrieved 2017-10-30.
  12. ↑ "Second indigenous carrier a long way off: Navy Chief". The Hindu. 28 April 2011. Archived from the original on 18 December 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  13. ↑ "India starts work on second indigenous aircraft carrier". IBN Live. 17 July 2012. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  14. ↑ "US expert: Washington should help India develop next-gen aircraft carriers". The Big News Network. 2 May 2015. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  15. ↑ Panda, Ankit (23 April 2015). "US-India Collaboration on Aircraft Carriers: A Good Idea?". The Diplomat. Archived from the original on 19 May 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  16. ↑ "Govt gives nod to new aircraft carrier, BrahMos missiles for six ships". Zeenews. 13 May 2015. Archived from the original on 17 May 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  17. ↑ Pandit, Rajat (13 May 2015). "Defence ministry clears projects worth Rs 25,000 crore". Times of India. Archived from the original on 16 May 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  18. ↑ "U.S.-India aircraft carrier working group holds inaugural meeting". Reuters India. Archived from the original on 4 November 2015.
  19. 1 2 "India Asks International Defense Firms for Help With New Aircraft Carrier Design". USNI News. Archived from the original on 1 October 2015.
  20. ↑ Sharma, Ritu (6 August 2012). "India plans a 65,000-tonne warship". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 25 December 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  21. ↑ "Indian Navy seeks EMALS system for second Vikrant-class aircraft carrier". Naval Technology. 30 May 2013. Archived from the original on 12 August 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  22. ↑ Bhat, Aditya. "INS Vishal, India's next aircraft carrier, will be nuclear-powered: Report". International Business Times, India Edition. Archived from the original on 12 November 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  23. ↑ "US defence secretary to visit India in May to push aircraft carrier technologies". The Times of India. 5 April 2015. Archived from the original on 18 April 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  24. ↑ "US Just Agreed To Give India Electromagnetic Launch System For INS Vishal Aircraft Carrier". indiatimes.com. Retrieved 2018-02-01.
  25. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 6 December 2016. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  26. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 22 December 2016.

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