Skip to main content

WASHINGTON: India and the US have started discussions to jointly develop a next-generation aircraft carrier to bolster the Indian Navy's blue-water capabilities, a top Pentagon official has said.


  • WASHINGTON: India and the US have started discussions to jointly develop a next-generation aircraft carrier to bolster the Indian Navy's blue-water capabilities, a top Pentagon official has said.

    During US President Barack Obama's visit to India in January, the two countries had announced the establishment of a working group for the proposed aircraft carrier, which held its first ever meeting here last month.

    The Indian delegation led by Vice Admiral SPS Cheema, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C), Western Naval Command, also visited the US Navy's state-of-the-art aircraft carrier - PCU Gerald Ford - currently under construction at Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia, and received briefs on US Navy management of aircraft carrier programmes.

    "The impression that I was left with in my discussion with Vice Admiral Cheema is that it exceeded our expectations," Keith Webster, director and International Cooperation Office of the Under Secretary of Defence for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, said.

    "There was an incredible amount of time spent on answering questions from the Indian delegation specific to how do we manage acquisition of an aircraft carrier, which is a hugely complex journey," he said.

    The delegation met with senior Pentagon officials, and toured the US Navy's research and development facilities for aircraft carrier launch and recovery systems as a first step to exploring opportunities for cooperation.

    "We answered every question that they had. And I think the realisation for Indian colleagues was that aircraft carrier technology and construction is very unique and that a large part of which is controlled by the US Navy and the US government," Webster said.

    Noting that the US Navy has its own in-house design team supported by industry and owns majority of the technology, Webster said the good news is because the US government has such control over aircraft carrier development, design and technology; tactics and techniques, it has greater latitude than other technologies like jet engines where it can control the decisions in a way that it cannot in some other industry.

    The next step would be the Indian Navy hosting the US Navy within the next six months or so to continue to focus on the way ahead, he said.

    "We believe there are opportunities to provide technical advice to the Indian Navy given our long history of aircraft carrier design and evolution," said the senior Department of Defence official.

    followed by, http://www.defencenews.in

    Comments

    Post a Comment

    Popular posts from this blog

    Border brawl: China choppers were in air

    Indian Air Force's Sukhoi 30 fighter aircraft  (File picture) Two helicopters of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army hovered close to the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh on May 5 and Indian Air Force fighter jets had also been airborne at the same time during a face-off between soldiers near the Pangong lake, sources in the army headquarters said on Tuesday. The latest revelations come at a time there has been an escalation in tension in pockets of the disputed frontier. “The Indian Air Force is regularly carrying out sorties of its Sukhoi 30 fighter aircraft in the Ladakh sector amid the simmering tension with China in the region. During the face-off last week, two Chinese choppers had come close to the border but there was no air space violation. The IAF’s Sukhoi 30 fighter jets were also airborne at the same time but it was routine flying and not in response to Chinese helicopters,” a source said. Chinese PLA Choppers Spotted Near LAC; IAF Rushes Fighter Jets To Ladakh...
    Post a Comment
    Read more

    Indian Army looking for new armoured vehicles for Ladakh, Tata among contenders

    Humvee and American Stryker Infantry Combat Vehicle are the two others who are also being considered by the Indian Army to deliver such vehicles. Photo of a Tata Defence Combat Light Armored Multi Role Vehicle Seeking to provide highly mobile armoured protection vehicles to its soldiers in high altitude terrains like Eastern Ladakh, the Indian Army is looking to choose from three different vehicles including the indigenous Tata Wheeled Armoured Protection along with American Stryker Infantry Combat Vehicle and Humvee. The Indian Army has a need for armoured infantry combat vehicles for quick movement of troops in the Eastern Ladakh area where the Chinese have deployed their armoured personnel carriers in large numbers. The force is looking at the three options which include the Tata WhAP and the American Stryker and Humvee, defence sources told ANI. The options are being evaluated by the force at the moment and a decision in this regard would be taken soon, they said. Sources said duri...
    Post a Comment
    Read more

    ‘Disengagement an intricate process, needs constant verification’: Army

    The government’s high-powered China Study Group (CSG) on Wednesday reviewed the latest developments in eastern Ladakh, with focus on the next stage of disengagement between the Indian and Chinese armies following the 14-hour meeting between senior military commanders.   The focus of the current round of military talks is to hammer out a consensus on easing tensions between the two armies in the Finger Area and Depsang plains as well as pulling back weapons and equipment from friction points in other sectors.(PTI) India and China remain committed to “complete disengagement” which is an “intricate process” and “requires constant verification”, the Indian Army said in a statement on Thursday, two days after senior military commanders from both sides met at Chushul to discuss the road map for reducing tensions along the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC). “The senior commanders reviewed the progress on implementation of the first phase of disengagement and discussed further step...
    Post a Comment
    Read more