Composition of the Indian Navy. New aircraft carrier for the Indian Navy. "Sacred cow" of the Indian Navy

Vikramaditya - Lord of the Indian Ocean

The zone of responsibility of the "Almighty" will extend up to the Antarctic latitudes

Fedor DIANOV

It is impossible not to recall here that the Commander-in-Chief of the USSR Navy, Sergei Gorshkov, was just one of the active supporters and enthusiasts of the development of military-technical cooperation between the two countries. It was under his leadership of the Soviet fleet that the Indian Navy in different years of the last century delivered eight diesel-electric submarines of project 641, five missile destroyers of project 61ME, five corvettes of project 159, three small rocket ship project 1234E, 14 project 205 Osa missile boats of various modifications, 12 project 266ME minesweepers and six project 1258 mine-sweeping ships, eight project 773 landing ships, as well as several auxiliary vessels. Under Gorshkov, the transfer to a friendly country of twelve large missile boats of project 1241RE and four small anti-submarine ships of project 1241PE began. As can be seen from the list, these were not one-time deliveries from time to time, but purposeful efforts to strengthen the Indian fleet. These combat and support units formed the backbone of the Indian Navy.

The route of the aircraft carrier Vikramaditya from Severodvinsk to Karvar.

They also took part in the hostilities during the India-Pakistan conflict of 1971. So, on the night of December 5, three Indian "wasps" raided the enemy's main naval base - Karachi. The destroyer Khaibar came out to intercept them. One of the Indian boats hit him with two P-15 missiles. Both hit the target. The ship caught fire, began to take on water, lost stability, capsized and sank. From the hits of Indian missiles, a Pakistani minesweeper sank and a transport ship in the roadstead was seriously damaged. Two more rockets set fire to port facilities. Four days later, the Indian "wasps" made another sortie. This time, the oil storage facilities of Karachi became the main objects of the night attack. They were set on fire by four rockets. The flames of a huge fire lit up the city and the sky. Other coastal installations were also damaged, as well as four Pakistani and one British ship in the port.

Some of the ships of the "Gorshkov call" continue to serve today. AT last years a number of combat and auxiliary units built already in the post-Soviet era were added to them: ten diesel-electric submarines of project 877EKM, six frigates of project 11356, and the Jyoti tanker. One of these Project 11356 frigates, Trikand, escorted the Almighty from Barents Sea to Naval Base Kadamba. In 2012, the Indian Navy received from Russia for a long-term lease the Chakra nuclear submarine of project 971I. The fruit of Russian-Indian cooperation was the BRAHMOS supersonic missile, designed to destroy surface and coastal targets. With the participation of Russian specialists, three project 15 missile destroyers, four project 25 corvettes and four project 25A were built in India. The newest Indian destroyers of project 15A are partially equipped with Russian weapons, and Russian ships of project 11356 became the prototype of project 17 frigates, which are armed with BRAHMOS missiles, Shtil-1 air defense systems (Kashmir - according to Indian codification), six-barreled 30-mm artillery mounts AK-630.

In other words, with the help of the USSR and then Russia, India became one of the largest naval powers. Now the Navy of this country has replenished with the aircraft carrier Vikramaditya. Its main weapon is 16 MiG-29K fighters and two MiG-29KUB combat training aircraft. They are designed to strike at sea and coastal targets, as well as to protect the Almighty and other ships from air attacks.

Vikramaditya - made a strong impression even on sophisticated sailors of the United Kingdom. Here is what an officer of the British frigate Monmouth, who accompanied the Indian aircraft carrier in the English Channel, Chris Hollingsworth, said about him to the correspondent of the official website of the Royal Navy: “I am impressed with the size of Vikramaditya, which is twice the size of our aircraft carrier Illustrious.”

Vikramaditya deployment scheme against PLA naval bases in the Indian Ocean zone.

Even before arriving at the home port, Vikramaditya participated in naval exercises in the Arabian Sea. They also involved the aircraft carrier Viraat and other ships of the Indian Navy. According to foreign experts, this indicates that the "Almighty" will not stand idle in the base, but will be actively involved in combat service, especially in water areas where it is difficult for coastal aviation to "get" a potential enemy.

Particular attention, according to the same experts, will be paid to the naval bases and basing points that China is creating in the Indian Ocean zone: Gwadar (Pakistan), Hambantota (Sri Lanka), Chittagong (Bangladesh), Sitte Yangong and on the island Coco (Myanmar). From the eastern part of the Bay of Bengal, MiG-29K fighters, while providing in-flight refueling, will be able to reach Hainan Island, where the newest base of the PLA Navy is located, to which strategic nuclear submarines are also assigned.

Undoubtedly, the zone of responsibility of the "Almighty" will be even wider and will extend all the way to the Antarctic latitudes. In a word, you won't be bored without Vikramaditya's work.

The heavy frigate "Trishul" was built in St. Petersburg.
Photo from www.pvo.guns.ru

The cooperation of our country with India in the naval field has already half a century of history and has marked a number of milestones for both countries. For the Indian navy, which was originally created and developed according to the British model and manned by ships purchased in the former mother country, the transition in the 60s to the purchase of warships and naval weapons in the USSR served as an important turning point in political reorientation and gaining access to advanced military technology. For the domestic shipbuilding industry, India became the first external customer for which ships were built on special export orders and on special export projects - until that time, the USSR supplied abroad only "standard" ships and boats built for the Soviet fleet, and more often simply transferred from members of the Soviet Navy. India became and remains the main importer of Soviet and then Russian naval equipment.

Over the past 50 years of the USSR, and then Russian Federation have become the main supplier of warships and naval technology to the Indian Navy. Many ships being built in India itself are designed with Russian participation and are equipped with Russian equipment and weapons. Thanks to Russia, India was able to gain access to technologies and capabilities unique to the global defense market, such as nuclear submarine shipbuilding technologies and supersonic anti-ship missiles. No other country would give India anything like this.

HISTORY UNPARALLELED

Military-technical cooperation between India and the USSR began in 1961 and experienced rapid growth. The beginning of intensive cooperation with the USSR in the naval field was the signing of the Soviet-Indian agreement in September 1965. In accordance with it, India ordered from the USSR four diesel-electric submarines of project I641, a floating base Amba project 1886E for them, five patrol ships of project 159E and five patrol boats of project 368P. All these units were received already in 1967-1969. The boats of the I641 project became, in fact, the first submarines built in the USSR on a special export order. Then, in 1972-1974, four more submarines of the improved project I641K and five more patrol ships of project 159E were built in the USSR for India.

The most important step in increasing the combat capabilities of the Indian fleet was the receipt from the USSR in 1971 of eight Project 205 missile boats armed with the P-15 anti-ship missile system. These were the first ships with guided missile weapons in the Indian Navy. Already at the end of the same year, these boats took part in the hostilities against Pakistan, providing the Indians with absolute superiority over the Pakistani fleet that did not have missile weapons and making a significant contribution to the Indian victory. In 1976, the Indian Navy received an additional eight missile boats of the improved project 205ER with the P-20 (P-15U) missile system, and in 1977-1978, three project 1234E small missile ships with the P-20M missile system.

In 1974, India signed a contract with the Soviet side for the construction in Nikolaev at the Plant named after 61 Communards of five large anti-submarine ships (destroyers according to the Indian classification) according to the modified project 61ME developed by the Northern Design Bureau (PKB). This order became a milestone for the domestic shipbuilding industry - for the first time the USSR built large warships under a special export order, and according to a project that was significantly different from the one according to which similar ships were built for the USSR Navy. The receipt in 1980-1988 of these ships, armed with the M-1 anti-aircraft missile system, the P-20M anti-ship missile system and a permanently based anti-submarine helicopter and equipped with an all-mode gas turbine power plant, significantly increased the combat capabilities of the Indian Navy.

The anti-mine forces of the Indian fleet were updated by building in the USSR in 1978-1988 12 sea minesweepers of project 266ME and in 1983-1984 six raid minesweepers of project 1258E.

Since the 1970s, the USSR has provided assistance to the Indian side in the development of national military shipbuilding. In addition to advisory and technical assistance, weapons were supplied to India (including missile systems"Osa-MA" and P-20M) and electronic equipment for equipping three frigates of the national project 16 of the Godavari type built in India (based on the British frigates of the Leander type), commissioned in 1982-1988, and then, already in the post-Soviet period - More modern weapons (including Uran-E anti-ship missile systems) for three modified project 16A frigates (Brahmaputra type) transferred to the Indian Navy in 2000-2005.

Since the 1980s, India's cooperation with the USSR, and then with Russia in the naval field, entered a new phase, characterized by the acquisition by India of the most advanced Soviet, and then Russian technologies and ships.

From 1986 to 2000, India received 10 Project 877EKM diesel-electric submarines built in the USSR and Russia. The construction of this series finally put forward India as the largest buyer of domestically built submarines. The last of the boats of this series, Sindhushastra, was built according to a modified project 08773 and was the first of the ships to be equipped with the Club-S missile system (which the Russian Navy did not have). After 2000, all other Indian boats of the 877EKM project are currently undergoing a similar upgrade with equipment from the Club-S complex during medium repairs at Russian enterprises (JSC Admiralty Shipyards, and now JSC Zvyozdochka).

The most decisive step in cooperation with Moscow was expressed in the receipt by India in 1988 in January of the lease of the Soviet nuclear submarine K-43 project 670 (or rather, its "export" version - project 06709), called Chakra ("Chakra") and equipped with anti-ship missiles "Amethyst". It was the first ever transfer of a nuclear submarine from one state to another. Although only three years later the submarine had to be returned to the USSR for political reasons, the operation of this boat clearly demonstrated to the leadership of the Indian Navy the great combat value of nuclear submarines.

In order to replace obsolete Soviet-built missile boats, the Indian Navy received from the USSR five large Project 1241RE missile boats armed with the P-21/P-22 missile system in 1987–1990, and then their licensed construction was launched in India from 1991 to 1997. six units were commissioned, and in 2002 the last two boats were commissioned, which were completed according to a modified project with the installation of a new Uran-E missile system. In addition, in 1989-1991, four small anti-submarine ships of project 1241PE were built in the USSR.

NEW STAGE

In India itself, in the 1980s, independent construction of new-generation warships began, designed by Soviet design bureaus and equipped mainly with Soviet and then Russian weapons and equipment. A great success for the Indian shipbuilding industry was the commissioning in 1997 of the Project 15 destroyer Delhi, developed by the Northern Design Bureau, which had been under construction for 10 years in Mumbai with technical assistance first from the USSR and then from Russia. Delhi became the first foreign ship to receive a number of modern and previously unexported Soviet naval weapons systems (Shtil anti-aircraft missile system, Fregat-MA radar). Of particular note is the armament of this ship with the Uran-E anti-ship missile system, thanks to which India became the first recipient of this complex in general, since the Uran missile system entered service with the Russian Navy only after 2002, and even then in limited quantities. Following the lead in 1999 and 2001, the Indian Navy received two more project 15 destroyers (Mysore and Mumbai).

Then the construction of three more destroyers was started according to the modified project 15A (Kolkata type), which is also being carried out with active Russian assistance. As expected, these ships will be armed with the Shtil-1 anti-aircraft missile system in vertical launchers, as well as the BrahMos missile system. All three ships are currently under completion and should be commissioned in 2011-2013. In addition, in 2009, the Government of India authorized the construction of four destroyers of an even more modified Project 15B.

According to the project of the Zelenodolsk Design Bureau in India, to replace the old patrol ships of project 159E, the construction of corvettes of the Indian project 25 (Khukri type) was started. Four of these ships, equipped with P-21/P-22 missile systems, were handed over to the Indian Navy in 1989-1991, and then four more units were built according to the modified project 25A (Kora type), equipped with the Uran-E missile system and entered service in 1998-2004.

However, the significant difficulties that India encountered in organizing the construction of ships at home forced the Indian fleet to once again resort to direct orders in Russia. In 1997, India signed a contract worth $1 billion for the construction in Russia of three frigates specially designed by the Northern Design Bureau of project 11356, equipped with the Shtil-1 anti-aircraft missile system and the Club-N missile system. The agreement became one of the most important achievements of the Russian shipbuilding industry of the post-Soviet period and the first significant military shipbuilding program implemented in Russia after the collapse of the USSR. At the same time, for the first time, Russia built ships for export that were more advanced than for its own fleet. Three Talwar-class frigates were built by Baltiysky Zavod OJSC in St. Petersburg and, despite delays due to technical problems, were delivered to the Indian Navy in 2003-2004, proving to be one of the most advanced and powerful ships of their class in the world. In 2006, India signed another contract worth $1.56 billion for the construction of three more frigates of the modified project 11356M with a completion date of 2011-2012, their construction is carried out by the Yantar Baltic Shipbuilding Plant in Kaliningrad. These ships are equipped with the Shtil-1 anti-aircraft missile system in vertical launchers and the BrahMos missile system. It is not excluded in the future that India will order three more ships of project 11356M.

Based on Project 11356, the Indians, with the participation of the Northern Design Bureau, developed a Project 17 frigate to be built by the national industry, equipped mainly with Russian weapons (Shtil-1 and Club-N complexes). Three Project 17 frigates are being built in Mumbai, the lead of them Shivalik was delivered to the fleet in 2010.

However, the most landmark for Indian-Russian cooperation in military shipbuilding were the contracts concluded after 2000 for the supply of India with the former heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov and the nuclear multi-purpose submarine Nerpa.

Negotiations on the sale to India of the heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov" (formerly "Baku") of project 11434 (standard displacement of 37 thousand tons), commissioned by the USSR Navy in 1987, but already in 1994 put on hold, were conducted almost a decade and were crowned with success only in 2004 with the signing of a contract worth $ 1.8 billion. According to this agreement, Russia transfers the ship to India (where it received the name Vikramaditya) and, for $ 970 million, rebuilds it by 2008 into a full-fledged aircraft carrier with a springboard launch of aircraft, and for another $ 752 million, develops and supplies India for the air group of this ship 16 carrier-based MiG-29K fighters (with an option for another 29). The package also includes the delivery of Ka-31 shipborne radar patrol helicopters and Ka-28 anti-submarine helicopters.

Work on the modernization of the Admiral Gorshkov for India under project 11430 of the Nevsky Design Bureau has been carried out at OJSC Northern Machine-Building Enterprise since 2005, but has been significantly delayed, further complicated by disagreements about the final cost of the conversion. In total, India subsequently had to pay an additional $1.5 billion for refurbishment in excess of the original contract price. It is expected that the commissioning of the converted ship into the Indian Navy will eventually take place no earlier than 2012. The ship should become the largest combat unit ever exported in world naval history, and significantly increase the combat potential of the Indian fleet.

History of cooperation with India on nuclear submarine fleet, started by the lease of Chakra, was developed in an agreement signed in October 2000 on the transfer of India to a long-term lease of the nuclear multi-purpose submarine of the third generation K-152 Nerpa, which remained unfinished at Amur Shipbuilding Plant OJSC (order 518, construction began in 1986 , developer of the SPMBM "Malachite") and its completion. At the time of signing the agreement, the technical readiness of the Nerpa was 86.5%. Subsequently, a similar completion and leasing of India and the second boat of the same type, located at the same enterprise, was envisaged (order 519, readiness about 60%). The final signing of the contract took place in 2005. The total cost of the agreement with India on the completion and lease of two nuclear submarines is estimated at $1.8 billion, including the Nerpa contract at $650 million. to Indians on lease for a period of 10 years, with lease payments of $25 million per year.

In 2004, work was resumed only on the Nerpa, which was being completed for India according to a specially “deeply modernized” project 971I, on which, in particular, the armament was changed and the Club-S missile system was installed. The Nerpa has been undergoing trials since 2008, and its delivery to the Indian side is scheduled for spring 2011. As part of the Indian fleet, she will receive the same name Chakra. Then, apparently, the construction of a second nuclear submarine for India will be resumed.

In addition, it is known that Russia is assisting India in the implementation of the ATV program for the design and construction of its own nuclear submarine. Apparently, a number of systems are also supplied from Russia for it. The first Indian nuclear submarine, Arihant, was launched in 2009, and when it was launched, Indian Prime Minister Singh directly thanked the "Russian friends" for their assistance. Now the boat is in the stage of completion and testing.

It is also worth mentioning that in 1996, the Admiralty Shipyards built the Jyoti refueling tanker of project 15966 for the Indian Navy.

AIR COMPONENT AND FUTURE PROSPECTS

Cooperation with Moscow had a significant impact on expanding the combat capabilities of Indian naval aviation. In the 70s and 80s, for the needs of long-range aviation reconnaissance of the Indian Navy, six Il-38 anti-submarine aircraft, and then eight long-range Tu-142ME anti-submarine aircraft, were acquired from the aviation of the USSR Navy, the range of which made it possible to keep under observation barely or the entire Indian Ocean. The USSR delivered seven Ka-25PL anti-submarine helicopters and 19 more modern Ka-28 anti-submarine helicopters.

After 2000, five Il-38 aircraft (including two additionally delivered from the presence of the Russian Navy) were upgraded to the Il-38SD version with the installation of a new Sea Serpent search and sighting system. In 2003-2004, nine Ka-31 long-range radar patrol helicopters were delivered to India - and India became the main customer of this helicopter. For the converted former heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov and for the IAC aircraft carrier under construction in India itself (including the option transferred to the contract), the first six of which were delivered in 2009. In addition, nine more Ka-31 helicopters and eight anti-submarine Ka-28 helicopters have been contracted. The Nevskoye Design Bureau, on the Indian order, also developed a project for a ground-based complex for the training of carrier-based pilots, which should be built in India.

A very significant joint project between Russia and India was the development and production of the anti-ship supersonic missile BrahMos by the joint venture of the same name, created by the Indian defense organization DRDO and the Russian OJSC NPO Mashinostroeniya. The BrahMos rocket was created on the basis of the Russian rocket of the Oniks (Yakhont) complex, and the production of kits for the rockets is carried out by Strela OJSC in Orenburg with subsequent delivery to India for retrofitting. The BrahMos project is a reference example of the implementation of a bilateral military-industrial program. To date, all three branches of the Indian armed forces have ordered or plan to purchase a total of up to 1,000 BrahMos missiles worth up to $ 5 billion. The BrahMos joint venture is working in the interests of the Indian side and to create a new generation of missiles already at hypersonic speed.

It can be stated that there remains a huge potential for further development and deepening of cooperation between Russia and India in the naval sphere in many areas. Yes, new Russian projects warships are also being offered to India for joint construction. Rosoboronexport with a project 22350 frigate is taking part in the Indian Navy's tender for the construction of seven new-generation project 17A frigates (the Indians are going to build one ship at a foreign shipyard and six under license at Indian enterprises). Project 677 non-nuclear submarines (Amur-1650) capable of being equipped with the BrahMos missile system are offered for a new Indian tender for six submarines (to be built under license in India). Apparently, joint Russian-Indian developments in the field of naval technology will also be developed.

Russia, France, Great Britain and the United States are competing for a contract to develop a new aircraft carrier for the Indian Navy, having received offers from the Indian Navy to participate in the tender.

India received its first aircraft carriers from Great Britain, whose role in the creation can hardly be overestimated. With independence, the influence of the Royal Navy did not decrease: in addition to traditions and a certain number of ships of various types inherited from the British, India cooperated with Great Britain for many decades, buying both finished ships and designs embodied in national shipyards.

The first Indian aircraft carrier was the Vikrant (INS Vikrant), built in 1945 by the joint efforts of the shipyards Vickers-Armstrong and Harland and Wolf for the Royal Navy under the name HMS Hercules. The ship never became part of the British Navy: in 1946, as part of the post-war reduction in the fleet, it was mothballed. In 1957, the ship was sold to India, and in 1961, after completion, it became part of the Indian fleet already as the Vikrant. A relatively small aircraft carrier with a total displacement of about 20,000 tons carried 20-25 aircraft: carrier-based Hawker Sea Hawk fighters, Breguet Br.1050 Alizé anti-submarine aircraft, American Sea King helicopters and French Alouettes. Subsequently, it was converted to fighters vertical takeoff and the landing of the Sea Harrier.

In 1997, 52 years after the construction, the Vikrant, which had served the Indian Navy for 36 years, was decommissioned and permanently moored as a naval museum in Mumbai.

By this time, the Indian Navy already had a second aircraft carrier. The ship, known as the INS Viraat, was purchased from the UK in 1986 and arrived in India in 1987.

Former "Hermes" (HMS Hermes) - light aircraft carrier type "Sentor" - was laid down at the Vickers-Armstrong shipyard in 1944, launched in 1953 and transferred to the British Royal Navy in 1959. As part of the Royal Navy, Hermes distinguished herself in the Falklands War of 1982, where she was the flagship of the British aircraft carrier formation. Larger than the Vikrant (28,700 tons of full displacement), it can carry up to 30-35 aircraft, although usually its air group, like its predecessor, is no more than 20-25 aircraft.

Already in the late 1980s, Indian admirals thought about the prospect of replacing both aging ships. The original plans called for the construction of two 28,000-ton aircraft carriers: the first would replace the Vikrant by the end of the 1990s, and the second would replace the Viraat in the mid-2000s. These plans were not implemented for economic reasons. In 1991, the Defense Expenditure Committee called for abandoning plans for large aircraft carriers and considering an alternative project the size of the Italian light aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi, known as one of the smallest aircraft carriers in the world, with a standard displacement of 10,000 and a gross displacement of 13,850 tons.

The Indian admirals did not like the idea of ​​replacing the Vikrant and Viraat with ships almost half the size. Nevertheless, the design of a new aircraft carrier capable of carrying 12-15 aircraft began, although the fleet was able to knock out an increase in displacement to 17,000 tons. In 1997, the Indian Navy practically managed to win back its former positions: the ADS (Air Defense Ship) project was considered as a promising one - a 24,000-ton ship with an air wing of 20-25 vehicles, based on the project of the French company DCNS.

During this period, the fleet changed its views on the concept of the future ship. Instead of an aircraft carrier designed to base short / vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (STOVL scheme), the admirals planned to get a ship capable of carrying full-fledged fighters. These aircraft carriers, built according to the scheme CATOBAR (ejection takeoff, landing with arresters) or STOBAR (short takeoff with a springboard, like on STOVL, and landing with arresters, like on CATOBAR), did not fit into the originally set size limits. The displacement of the ship being designed increased, exceeding 30,000 tons and eventually stopped at a value of 37,500 tons of standard and over 40,000 - full displacement.

At the same time, it was clear that the implementation of our own project with such a difficult political climate would take a long time: the order for the first ship of the new project 71, named Vikrant, was issued in 2004, the laying of the aircraft carrier at the shipyard in Cochin took place in 2009 , the final launching - in 2015, and the commissioning, announced for 2018, can be postponed for another 1-2 years. Under these conditions, the leadership of the Indian Navy accepted the Russian offer to purchase the former Soviet heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Gorshkov with its restructuring into an aircraft carrier of the STOBAR scheme, for basing MiG-29K fighters and helicopters. Negotiations that had been going on since the late 1990s ended in 2004, and in 2013 the ship was handed over to the customer under the name Vikramaditya. At the same time, India received 45 MiG-29K fighters, which should form the air wing of both the Vikramaditya and the new Vikrant.

In the late 2000s, when China was working on the Liaoning aircraft carrier (a heavy aircraft carrier cruiser"Varyag") and planned to create their own Chinese aircraft carrier, in India they thought about building the next ship. According to press reports, he should be given the name "Vishal" (INS Vishal).

INDIAN NAVY

NAVAL FORCES OF INDIA

02.05.2016

India's first Scorpene-class submarine has passed sea trials for the first time, India's defense ministry said on Saturday.
Russia and India continue negotiations on leasing a second nuclear submarine
The Calvary was built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders in Mumbai and is the first of six submarines of this class to be built by the yard.
According to the Ministry of Defense, the submarine first went to sea on its own propulsion system off the coast of Mumbai at about 10 am. A series of engine tests were carried out, auxiliary equipment and systems, navigation equipment, communication equipment and rudder. In the evening the submarine returned to port. In the next few months, the submarine will continue to undergo sea trials, diving tests, as well as weapons tests.
“Later this year, the Kalvari submarine will be commissioned by the Indian Navy,” the press release says.
RIA News

14.01.2017


India has launched a second Scorpene-class submarine called Khanderi, but it will not be equipped with torpedoes.
The reason lies in the fact that the country's Ministry of Defense has not been able to decide on the choice of a torpedo for five years now. Previously, it was decided to purchase 98 Black Shark heavy torpedoes manufactured by WASS (a subsidiary of the Italian Leonardo group), but in May last year the results of the tender were canceled due to allegations of corruption of another Leonardo subsidiary, the helicopter manufacturer AgustaWestland, with involvement in unrighteous cases of members of the Indian parliamentary party "National Congress".
It is expected that the Khanderi nuclear submarine will be transferred to the fleet in mid-2017. Currently, the Indian Navy is armed with a total of 13 conventional Varshavyanka-class submarines, one Arihant SSBN and one rented Akula nuclear submarine (Varshavyanka and Akula - Russian-built - approx. VP). By comparison, China's PLA Navy has 65 nuclear and conventional submarines.
Military parity

28.01.2017


The Indian Navy intends to buy 57 carrier-based fighters and has requested technical and commercial proposals from possible suppliers. The corresponding document is published on the public procurement website of the Indian government.
According to the document, the military wants to get 57 aircraft, designated as MRCBF (multi-purpose carrier-based fighters). Proposals for the future competition will be collected over the next four months. The volume of offset (the share of the final cost of finished aircraft produced under contract in India) should be at least 30 percent.
The deployment of an RFI (request for information from suppliers) means that the fleet will likely give up trying to get a carrier-based version of the LCA light fighter being developed in India. The criticism of the aircraft by the military was especially aggravated at the end of 2016 - in their opinion, the aircraft has insufficient thrust-to-weight ratio and is not capable of taking off from the deck with a full supply of fuel and maximum combat load.
Despite this, the LCA Navy Mk.2 (in the planned, more advanced version, with General Electric F414 engines) formally remains among the contenders for the future competition. Among the rest, they name the F / A-18E / F Super Hornet (USA), the deck version of the Rafale aircraft (France), one of the F-35 variants and the Russian MiG-29K.
As of December 2016, the Indian Navy operates 41 carrier-based MiG-29K/KUB fighters. In total, the fleet ordered 45 of these machines under two contracts (2004 and 2010). However, in July 2016, the Indian Audit Office released a report criticizing these aircraft.
In particular, there were problems with the operation of the engines and the fly-by-wire control system, as well as deviations in the quality of the airframe. As a result, at different times the serviceability of the MiG-29K aircraft fleet ranged from 15.93 to 37.63 percent, and the MiG-29KUB fleet - from 21.30 to 47.14 percent.
Lenta.ru

11.03.2017


The acute shortage of helicopters has become one of the most serious gaps in the combat capabilities of the Indian navy, with new plans for the purchase and production of military equipment do not bode well for progress in this direction, according to the Indian newspaper "The Times of India".
The author of the article notes that the Indian Navy needs 147 multi-purpose MHR (Multi-role helicopter) helicopters capable of anti-submarine warfare, and 110 NUH (Naval light utility helicopter) marine light twin-engine utility helicopters to replace the outdated single-engine Chetak helicopters.
However, the decision to purchase 16 S-70B Seahawk multipurpose helicopters American company Sikorsky (since 2015 owned by Lockheed Martin), adopted back in 2008, may be revised due to the inability of the parties to agree on the cost of the contract.
According to the sources of the newspaper, representatives of the Indian Navy note the critical need for these helicopters and oppose the cancellation of the purchase, but the Ministry of Defense believes that the contract is overpriced by more than 40%.
In addition, a plan to purchase an additional 123 MHR helicopters and 110 NUH helicopters has not yet been agreed, as the military department has not completed the development of the "strategic partnership" model under the "Make in India" policy.
The Indian Navy is commissioning four to five warships a year, in line with a plan to expand the fleet to 212 units by 2017, while not having enough carrier-based helicopters to carry out operations to detect, track and destroy enemy submarines.
Currently, the Indian fleet of 138 warships is armed with 10 Ka-28 helicopters and 17 Westland Sea King helicopters. Helicopters Russian production are undergoing upgrades under a $294 million agreement signed last year.
http://bmpd.livejournal.com

KA-27 anti-submarine helicopter

08.04.2017


On April 3, the Indian Ministry of Defense approved the purchase of 100 Barak-1 short-range anti-aircraft guided missiles manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI - Israel Aerospace Industries) and Rafael for the Indian Navy.
According to Janes Defense Weekly, total cost approved at a meeting of the Council for defense procurement(Defence Acquisition Council - DAC) procurement of weapons and military equipment is estimated at 8.6 billion rupees (132.3 million dollars). These include the acquisition of 100 Barak-1 missiles worth 5 billion rupees. As stated, new missiles are needed to replace ammunition that has expired. The purchase of Israeli missiles has been approved ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled visit to Israel in July 2017.
TsAMTO

BARAK AND BARAK 8 air defense / missile defense system (ISRAEL)
WORLDWIDE ARMS TRADE

20.04.2017


The Indian Navy intends to finally sign an agreement with the South Korean corporation Kangnam Corporation in 2017 for the construction of 12 modern large minesweeping minesweepers worth about $ 5.4 billion, according to the Indian newspaper The Economic Times. These ships are to replace the last six of the 12 Soviet-built project 266ME sea minesweepers currently in service with the Indian Navy, which are scheduled to be decommissioned by the end of 2018.
Vice Admiral Dilip Deshpande (D M Deshpande), head of the Indian Navy's Warship Production and Procurement Department, said that the earlier problems on this project between the Indian state-owned shipbuilding enterprise Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL, Goa) and its Korean partner Kangnam Corporation have been resolved, and the contract must be signed before the end of the year.
In addition, before the end of this year, a contract will be signed for the purchase of amphibious assault ships (Landing Platform Dock, LPD). The Indian Navy planned to purchase four such ships with a displacement of 20 thousand tons at a price of about $ 2 billion.
Answering a question from journalists about the status of the project to develop the second Indian aircraft carrier Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC-II), Vice Admiral Deshpande noted that preparatory work on it is being completed, and in the next two to three months the Navy will be able to apply to the Indian Ministry of Defense on the issue of providing the necessary funding.
http://bmpd.livejournal.com

11.01.2018


Anguish continues in India over a 16-year-long program to build a new generation of anti-mine ships for the Indian Navy. As Indian resources reported on January 8, 2018, the Indian government again, for the second time, canceled the program for the construction of 12 new minesweepers, which was to be carried out at the state-owned shipbuilding enterprise Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) in Goa in partnership with the South Korean corporation Kangnam Corporation. The cost of the program was estimated at 32,840 crore rupees (about $5.19 billion).
The official reason for the cancellation of the program was, according to unnamed Indian officials, the inability to reach a final agreement with Kangnam Corporation regarding "full satisfaction of Indian procurement procedures." The Indian spokesman said that Kangnam was demanding about $1 billion for licensing rights, project transfer and technology transfer, and refused to fully accept Indian demands for rights. intellectual property and volumes of technical support in accordance with the “Make in India” principle.
http://bmpd.livejournal.com/

WORLDWIDE ARMS TRADE

26.03.2018


On March 22 and 23, in separate ceremonies, the Indian Navy decommissioned a nationally built frigate and three Russian-built minesweepers. These are the frigate INS Ganga (Godavari class) and the mine-sweeping ships Konkan, Cannanore and Cuddalore (Karwar class). The ships served for about 30 years (the frigate was built in 1985, the minesweepers were received from the former Soviet Union in 1987-88). It is reported that the minesweepers will be replaced by new units built by the Indian company Goa Shipyard Limited in cooperation with the Kangnam Corporation (South Korea).
Military parity

INDIAN NAVY

The naval forces (55 thousand people, including 5 thousand - naval aviation, 1.2 thousand - marines) are designed to perform the following tasks: combating enemy surface ships and submarines, disrupting its sea lanes in the northern parts of the Indian Ocean, the protection of territorial waters and the special economic zone, the implementation of landing operations on the coast of the enemy, as well as anti-submarine and anti-amphibious defense of naval bases and ports of the country.
The supreme body of operational and administration naval forces is the headquarters of the Navy, which is located in Delhi. Four naval commands are subordinate to him: Western (Mumbai), Eastern (Vizagapatnam), Southern (Cochin) and Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Port Blair). The Western and Eastern military commands are operational formations of the Navy and have fleets (Western and Eastern) in their composition. The southern military command is educational. Large surface ships, up to and including the frigate, are directly subordinate to the headquarters of the fleets, the rest of the warships and boats are grouped into divisions.
The Navy has nine naval bases: Mumbai (formerly Bombay), Goa (Naval Aviation Headquarters), Karwar, Cochin. Vizagapatnam (submarine headquarters), Kolkata, Chennai (former Madras). Port Blair, Arakona (Navy Aviation). In addition, India has twenty major ports where it is possible to repair and base warships of all types. The Indian Navy includes the following classes of ships: diesel torpedo submarines, aircraft carrier, destroyers, frigates, corvettes, minesweepers.
The scope of the Indian Navy has long been limited to defensive actions in the coastal zone. However, the purchase of modern weapons and military equipment, the decommissioning of obsolete types of ships have allowed the country's Navy in recent years to operate almost anywhere in the Indian Ocean.
The naval forces play an important role in the plans of the Indian military-political leadership to turn the country into a leading regional power. The leadership's rather ambitious plans aimed at the comprehensive improvement of the national naval forces are explained by the desire to protect the country's political and economic interests in the region and strengthen its leading position in South Asia. The increase in the combat power of the Indian Navy will be carried out by introducing new ships and boats, combat aircraft and helicopters of naval aviation into the combat structure. In addition, the fleet management system, as well as the basing system for the Navy and naval aviation, will be improved. In particular, Indian military experts consider it necessary to build or purchase aircraft carriers in order to have permanently operating 1-2 AUGs at the beginning of the 21st century. In this regard, work is underway in the country to design an aircraft carrier with a displacement of about 20,000 tons. According to the leadership of the Navy, the fleet should have three aircraft carriers, two of which should be constantly in service, and the third - under repair.
To improve the combat capability of the fleet, the Indian military leadership is actively using the practice of holding joint exercises with the ships of the navies of other countries. Foreign experts note, however, that state of the art The country's navy does not fully meet the tasks set before them by the state leadership to protect the economic and military interests of India in the oceans.
UNDERWATER FORCE
SSBN. For more than 30 years, India has been working on the concept of creating its own submarine under the ATV (Advanced Technology Vessel) program. The reason for this was the threat of possible American intervention in the Indo-Pakistani conflict that took place in 1971.
PLAT. In 1988-1991, the Indian Navy acquired necessary experience operation of the project 670 submarine leased from the USSR, which received the name "Chakra" (Chakra). The same lease made it possible to facilitate and speed up the process of designing your own submarine. In April 2012, Russia leased to India a multi-purpose nuclear submarine (PLAT) of project 971 "Nerpa" for ten years (the newspaper "Military Industrial Courier" reported on this event - http://vpk-news.ru/articles/8788 . - Ed.), which was completed with Indian money and again received the name "Chakra". Thus, one newest PLAT appeared in the combat composition of the Indian Navy.
NAP. At the beginning of this year, 14 NNS of foreign projects remained in combat strength: ten NNS of project 877EKM were built in the USSR / Russia, two NNS of project 209/1500 - in Germany and two NNS of the same type - in India. Ten NNSs of the Shishumar type (Shishumar, type 877EKM) built in the USSR / Russia, according to Indian military experts, are the most advanced among the NNSs of other countries of the world. Sufficiently modern and non-nuclear submarines of the 209/1500 type, but, according to a number of experts, they lose "underwater duels" to Russian-made boats of the specified project. At the same time, these are quite unique non-nuclear submarines, which, with such a small displacement, have a pop-up rescue chamber (VSC) for the crew. In the process of repairs of Project 877EKM NNSs, Club-S anti-ship missiles (3M-54E/E1) are being re-equipped. In the future, it is possible to arm the Club-S / N (3M-14E) SLCM boats.
Until the beginning of 2005, many foreign experts believed that all programs for the construction of nuclear submarines were curtailed in the interests of concentration financial resources on the ATV program, since after 2000 the purchase of non-nuclear boats was discontinued. However, in 2005, the NNS construction program was restored, and in 2010, the construction of French NNSs under Project 75 (Scorpene) began. This decision was made based on the results of a tender with a contract worth three billion dollars.
It is planned to build a series of six nuclear submarines by 2017. However, according to a number of experts, if this series is completed, then at a later date, and the program for the construction of NNSs under project 75 is probably intended mainly for the development of French technologies: an air-independent power plant (VNEU) of the MESMA type and anti-ship missiles Exocet SM39.
Within 30 years, the Indian Navy plans to purchase 24 NNS of national and foreign production.
CARRIER FORCE
Currently, there are two aircraft carriers in combat strength:
one light aircraft carrier (AVL) Viraat (type Hermes) with vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (VTOL) Sea Harrier FRS Mk 51 based on it and helicopters. The ship entered service in 1959 and has significant physical wear and tear. In early 2007, a research team was formed to explore the possibility of extending its life until 2012.
The second Vikramaditya ("Almighty") of project 11430 was transferred to the Indian Navy in November 20913 and arrived at its permanent base in India in early January 2014.
According to most experts, the new ABC of the ADS program of the 71 Vikrant project is most likely to be a development of the 11430 project with a total displacement of more than 45,000 tons. At the same time, a number of experts doubt the creation of a new AB with a springboard, and not with catapults. In any case, information about the characteristics of the new Indian Air Force and the timing of its construction is considered by many experts to be insufficiently reliable. Although they are all sure that the construction of the Project 71 ABC is underway, and the completion date for its construction has not been precisely determined - probably no later than 2017. There is also an intention to build a second ABC of this type in the long-term plans.
AMPHIBIAN FORCE
DK. As of the beginning of 2012, the Navy has one landing helicopter docking ship (DVKD) Jalashwa (former Trenton LPD-14 of the US Navy) and 10 tank landing ships (TDK) of two types: Magar - five units, Sharabh (Polish-built project 773) - five units. The Magar-class ships were based on the Sir Lancelot-class DC of the British Navy.
DKA. Currently, the Navy has eight landing craft of the LCU type, but they can be used to a limited extent as landing craft (ICE) DVKD. We can expect the start of construction (or purchases in other countries) of new LCM, LCU and, possibly, LCAC class spacecraft adapted for use as a DVKD ICE.
MULTI-PURPOSE FORCE
EM. By the end of 2011, the Navy had five Soviet-built Rajput-type destroyers (project 61ME) and three national-built Delhi-type destroyers (project 15). When designing the Delhi-type EM, the Rajput EM was used as a prototype. It should be noted that the new ships turned out to be quite powerful, and appearance their very elegant. All EMs are being upgraded to enhance air defense and missile defense.
To replace the first three EMs of the 61ME project, three EMs of the Kolkata type (project 15A) are being built. The ships differ from their prototype in architecture, which takes into account the requirements of Stealth stealth technology, the placement of BrahMos PJ-10 anti-ship missiles and missiles in the TLU. The Barak-2 air defense system was adopted as the main air defense system, and the Barak-1 air defense system was placed at the last line for self-defense.
FR. If EM ships have the USSR ships as a prototype, then the first FR of the Indian Navy of national construction are the development of ships of this class of the British Navy. The first Himgiri-type FRs (currently three units in service) almost completely copied the English Leander-type FRs. The next three FRs of the Godavari type (Project 16), while retaining common features with the first FRs, are much larger ships with all types of weapons. The most advanced of them are ships of the second series - three FRs of the Brahmaputra type (project 16A).
And the most modern are three FRs of the Talwar type (project 11356) built in Russia. The ships carry the most advanced weapons: the Club-N anti-ship missiles in the VPU 3S-14E, the Shtil-1 / Uragan air defense system and two Chestnut / Kortik air defense systems.
KRV. In 2002, the construction program of eight Khukri-type WACs (four of Project 25 and four of Project 25A) was completed.
PATROL FORCES
PC. The Navy has six Sukanya-class PCs (three built in South Korea). In the near future, it is planned to begin construction of new PCs (up to four units) with a total displacement of 2200-2300 tons under the PSON program.
BKA. Previously, the Indian Navy paid considerable attention to the development of missile boats (RCA) and they were assigned tasks directly in the coastal zone. Currently, there are 35 BKA in combat strength, of which 12 are RKA of project 1241RE (modification 12411T of the USSR Navy). The rest are patrol boats (four of project 1241PE, eight of the SDB Mk3/5 type, seven of the Nicobar type and seven of the Super Dvora type). There is a sluggish program to replace old SKAs with new ones, but there are no plans to increase the number of SKAs.
MINE-SWEEPING FORCES
The minesweeping forces (MTS) are based on minesweepers built in the USSR. At the end of 2011, eight sea minesweepers (MTSC) of the Pondicherry type (project 266ME) remained in service. There are no further plans for the development of mine defense ships (PMOs), but the MTS are rapidly aging and, probably, a program for their renewal will appear in the near future.

INDIAN NAVY TO BUILD A NEW BASE

IT WILL BE EQUIPPED WITH THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY

The command of the Indian Navy announced its intention to build on east coast country's new naval base. The place for it was chosen 50 km south of Visakhapatnam. The new base is designed to strengthen the position of the Indian fleet in the Bay of Bengal, where in recent years there has been a rapid increase in the activity of the Chinese Navy, which causes quite understandable concern of the Indian military-political leadership. The name for the new naval base has not yet been chosen, since the work is still at the design stage.

By now, it is known for certain that two aircraft carriers, nuclear and non-nuclear submarines, surface ships of various classes and auxiliary vessels will be based here. One of the representatives of the Indian Navy also said that, most likely, the first aircraft carrier of national construction (Air Defense Ship - a ship air defense), the construction of which is already underway at one of the Indian shipyards (the ship was designed by the Italian company Fincantieri under a contract signed in mid-2004). It should enter the combat fleet in 2013.

Now in Visakhapatnam is the main naval base (GMB) of the Eastern Naval Command of India, and the headquarters of this command is also located right there. However, the harbor is not at the exclusive disposal of the Navy, since the facilities of the commercial port, which over the past six years has been the leader in terms of cargo turnover, are also located here. Moreover, the constant growth of commercial shipping in this region caused earlier the need to make a decision to open a new commercial port - in the Gangavaram region. But the same, that is, the increase in the intensity of navigation, applies equally to the activities of national navies. Therefore, the desire of the Indian Navy to somewhat unload the Visakhapatnam GVMB by building a new base equipped with modern berths and anchorages seems to be quite justified.

Not the last role in making such a decision was played by the desire of the Indian admirals to get the mooring line and other infrastructure for their exclusive use, without any division of powers with the civil authorities. Until recently, a similar situation took place on the western coast of the country - a naval base and a commercial port were located in Mumbai. As a result of a detailed study of the available opportunities in 2005, work was intensified on the construction of the Kadamba base (Indian Naval Ship (port) Kadamba). This naval base is named after one of the ruling dynasties of the 4th century. The base was officially opened on May 31, 2005. Geographically, it is located in the area of ​​the city of Karwar (Karwar), a little to the south of it. Commodore K.P. Ramachandran was appointed the first commander of the new naval base. The first phase, commissioned at the end of 2005, makes it possible to base 11 ships here. The construction of the base by a consortium of several Indian and foreign (European) companies is still ongoing and will be fully completed, according to the previously approved plan, by 2010 (it was originally planned to be commissioned by 2005).

The Naval Base Kadamba site will include 11,200 acres of natural, conveniently located natural bay. It is planned to base from 42 to 45 surface ships and submarines of the main classes here. In addition to an extended berthing line and sheltered storage facilities for ammunition, fuels and lubricants and various equipment, a fairly large airfield will also be built on the territory of the base for basing aircraft and helicopters of naval aviation. A repair facility will also be located on the territory of the naval base, the capabilities of which will allow for the docking of ships and auxiliary vessels of the Indian Navy of any class (it is alleged that up to aircraft carriers).

In the Kadamba Naval Base area, a powerful air defense and anti-missile defense system will probably be put into operation, which is planned to include the most modern anti-aircraft missile systems, including long-range ones. Additional protection The base will also provide a complex hilly terrain, and from the sea direction, a fairly large wooded island located in the immediate vicinity of the entrance to the bay (technical observation and reconnaissance posts, coastal defense facilities, etc.) .

Approximately so, that is, equipped with the latest technology, the new base of the Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy should look like. After the commissioning of both bases, the combat potential of the Indian fleet, which is striving to become a full-fledged "ocean fleet", will increase significantly. This will allow the Indian military-political leadership to exercise truly complete control over the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, and will also provide Delhi with the opportunity to project force over the entire Indian Ocean, which Indian admirals are so eager for.

Thus, the commander of the Indian Navy, Admiral Arun Prakash, recently stated that an ambitious plan is currently being put into practice, according to which, in the medium term, the Indian Ocean (especially coastal and strait zones) will be taken by subordinate forces and means under full control. For this, satellite and ground-based surveillance, reconnaissance, command and communications systems will be used, which will make it possible to link into a single network all the forces and means at the disposal of the command of the Navy, regardless of in which area of ​​the Indian Ocean the ship connection will be located. As you can see, the plans are really ambitious.

It should be specially noted here that the leaders of the republic consider the water area from the Strait of Hormuz in the west to the Strait of Malacca in the east and from the east coast of Africa to the western part of the Australian continent as a "zone of legitimate interests" of India. Such increased attention to the Indian Ocean should not come as a surprise, since the vast majority of all imports come into the country by sea. This is especially true for oil and oil products. A significant part of the exported goods also go this route. Thus, it is quite obvious that the establishment of control over sea and ocean lines of communication is necessary condition transformation of the country into a world-class superpower, which is the strategic task of the military-political leadership of India.

Delhi especially needs control over the eastern part of the ocean: according to the most approximate data, more than 50% of the volume foreign trade India is carried through the Malacca Strait - the result of the practical implementation of the so-called "East-oriented" policy ("Look-East" policy). This, in turn, requires the provision of an appropriate level of naval presence in the waters of the Bay of Bengal. Moreover, the Indian leadership even decided to create a separate Naval Command of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. However, building a powerful naval base or a base point on these archipelagos with not very large islands is not advisable due to the extremely high level of seismic activity in this area. Therefore, according to many experts, Delhi's desire to build a reliable modern base on the "more sustainable" eastern coast of the country is understandable and justified.

In addition, in recent years, there has been a rapid increase in the activity of the PLA Naval Forces in the Bay of Bengal, relying in their expansion on the coastal infrastructure of Myanmar. In response, Indian admirals even began to regularly conduct naval exercises in the Bay of Bengal and the South China Sea with the navies of the countries of the region, which are also concerned about the growth of China's military power. Interestingly, according to the Indian media, the Indian Navy initially planned to build a new naval base in Gangavaram. In particular, it was supposed to build a complex of structures intended for basing multi-purpose nuclear submarines of Indian construction there. A corresponding request was made to the government of India, but it rejected it and gave the place as a commercial port. The construction of the latter began to be carried out by a consortium consisting of DV Raju (India) and Dubai Ports World (UAE) - the third largest port operator in the world (serves six commercial ports in the United States). However, in April 2006, there was a critical "wave" in the Indian press aimed at withdrawing Dubai Ports World from the project.

Interestingly, four years ago, the command of the Indian Navy expressed its concern about the intention to involve a company from the UAE in this project. In support of their position, the Indian admirals spoke of the inexpediency of allowing a foreign, especially an Arab company, to manage the port located so close to the Vishakhapatnam naval base - the location of the headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy and the base of the main forces of the fleet. Ultimately, Dubai Ports World was forced to legally withdraw from the consortium.

As for the new naval base, the total area of ​​its territory, according to the plan, will be about 5,000 acres (that is, a little more than half that of the Kadamba naval base). So far, the government of Andhra Pradesh, on whose territory it will be located, has allocated only 500 acres for construction. According to representatives of the Ministry of Defense of India, the rest will be allocated in the very near future. However, taking into account the highly developed bureaucratic system in the country, the country's already huge defense spending, the construction of a new base can quite realistically drag on for years. A striking example is the story of the Kadamba naval base. Its construction was approved by the government as Project Seabird in August 1985. Construction was to begin in January 1986 and be completed in seven years. In October 1986, the then acting Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi, solemnly laid the "cornerstone" of the new naval base. But then the financial trickle (and in total it was initially decided to allocate almost 8.13 billion dollars for the project) began to gradually fade, and in the end, construction work was frozen. They resumed only at the end of 1999, and on May 31, 2005, as noted above, the first phase of construction was completed - the new base was officially opened, it was given a distinctive name (in India, the opening of a naval base is called the "baptism ceremony" and is equated to the ceremony of accepting the ship by the fleet from the industry and putting it into the combat structure of the Navy). In total, three phases of construction are envisaged, which should be finally completed no later than 2010.

Vladimir SHCHERBAKOV

VPK №45 (161)