All the trials have been completed and INS Vikramaditya, formerly known as Admiral Gorskhov, will be handed over to the Indian Navy on November 15. Once inducted, the warship will join the fleet along with INS Viraat, which is over half a century old but is expected to serve till 2018. The carrier was purchased by India on 20 January 2004 after years of negotiations at a final price of $2.35 billion. The warship will be equipped with, as a part of the deal, 12 single-seat Mikoyan MiG-29K 'Fulcrum-D' and four dual-seat MiG-29KUB aircraft (with an option for 14 more aircraft), six Kamov Ka-31 "Helix" reconnaissance and anti-submarine helicopters, torpedo tubes, missile systems, and artillery units.
Indian Navy’s long term objective is to be able to respond to emergent situations far away from main land. After China’s ‘string of pearls’ theory, India needs to develop a grand strategy to counter the Chinese aggression in the Indian Ocean. INS Vikramaditya will have to play a crucial role in achieving this objective.
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