INS Viraat
Encyclopedia
INS Viraat (R22) (Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
: विराट
Devanagari
Devanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
, Virāṭ. "Giant" ) is a Centaur
Centaur class aircraft carrier
The Centaur class of aircraft carriers of the British Royal Navy was the last of the light fleet carrier designs started during the closing years of World War II.-Ships In Class:HMS Centaur...
class aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
currently in service with the Indian Navy
Indian Navy
The Indian Navy is the naval branch of the armed forces of India. The President of India serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff , usually a four-star officer in the rank of Admiral, commands the Navy...
. INS Viraat is the flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
of the Indian Navy, the oldest carrier in service and one of two aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
s in the Indian Ocean Region.
The Viraat was completed and commissioned in 1959 as the Royal Navy's HMS Hermes
HMS Hermes (R12)
HMS Hermes was a Centaur-class British aircraft carrier, the last of the postwar conventional aircraft carriers commissioned into the Royal Navy.-Construction and modifications:...
, and transferred to India in 1987. In 2009 there were reports that after that year's refit was concluded, India might keep the aircraft carrier in service until 2020. By then, the warship would have completed 60 years of service, over twice its initially estimated sailing life of 25 years. At that time the two Indigenous Aircraft Carriers (IACs) seemed likely to be fully operational, which was the reason to keep Viraat operational until then, according to un-named Navy officers.
Royal Navy Service
INS Viraat was originally commissioned in the Royal NavyRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
as HMS Hermes
HMS Hermes (R12)
HMS Hermes was a Centaur-class British aircraft carrier, the last of the postwar conventional aircraft carriers commissioned into the Royal Navy.-Construction and modifications:...
on 18 November 1959. During her career as Hermes, she served as the flagship of the Royal Navy's task force during the Falkland Islands campaign
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
in 1982. She would serve the Royal Navy another three years until she was decommissioned from active duty in 1985.
Induction into Indian Navy
After evaluating vessels from several countries, particularly the Garibaldi class of Italian ships, the Indian NavyIndian Navy
The Indian Navy is the naval branch of the armed forces of India. The President of India serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff , usually a four-star officer in the rank of Admiral, commands the Navy...
purchased the vessel in April 1986 and gave it an extensive refit at Devonport Dockyard
HMNB Devonport
Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport , is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy . HMNB Devonport is located in Devonport, in the west of the city of Plymouth in Devon, England...
in Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, to allow for continued operability into the next decade. New fire control equipment, navigation radars, improved NBC protection, and deck landing aids were installed in this refit. Boilers were converted to operate on distillate fuel
Fuel oil
Fuel oil is a fraction obtained from petroleum distillation, either as a distillate or a residue. Broadly speaking, fuel oil is any liquid petroleum product that is burned in a furnace or boiler for the generation of heat or used in an engine for the generation of power, except oils having a flash...
.
First Mid-service Refit
In September 1993, the engine room of Viraat flooded, putting the vessel out of service for several months. By 1995, the vessel was back in service and had a new search radar.Second Mid-service Refit
Between July 1999 and April 2001, INS Viraat completed another life-extension refit which was expected to extend her serviceability until 2010. This refit upgraded propulsion systems, added a package of sensors to sound emergency alerts, and introduced modern communication systems. In addition, long-range surveillance radar, weapon systems, and new hangar with fire curtains was installed. The lift system was revamped to reduce reaction time in the event of an attack and a new flood alarm system was installed. In early June 2001 Viraat returned to service after nearly two years of refit.The vessel also took part in the International Fleet Review in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
in February 2001.
Third Mid-service Refit
The vessel had to be towed back to dry dockDry dock
A drydock is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform...
for another refit in mid-2003 and returned to service only in November 2004, during which the vessel was fitted with the Barak SAM
Barak SAM
Barak is an Israeli surface-to-air missile designed to be used as a point-defense missile system on warships, defending against aircraft, anti-ship missiles, and UAVs.-Barak I:...
.
Fourth Mid-service Refit
Viraat underwent a fourth refit in Indian service from January to August 2009 at Cochin ShipyardCochin Shipyard
Cochin Shipyard Limited is the largest ship building and maintenance facility in India. It is part of a line of maritime related facilities in the port-city of Kochi, in the state of Kerala, India....
, Kochi, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. This refit was expected to ensure its continued service in the Indian Navy until 2015. Viraat went through exercises in the Arabian Sea
Arabian Sea
The Arabian Sea is a region of the Indian Ocean bounded on the east by India, on the north by Pakistan and Iran, on the west by the Arabian Peninsula, on the south, approximately, by a line between Cape Guardafui in northeastern Somalia and Kanyakumari in India...
for a month and a half before being deployed to the Gulf of Aden
Gulf of Aden
The Gulf of Aden is located in the Arabian Sea between Yemen, on the south coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and Somalia in the Horn of Africa. In the northwest, it connects with the Red Sea through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, which is about 20 miles wide....
.
Short Refit
On 12 July 2011 INS Viraat arrived at Cochin ShipyardCochin Shipyard
Cochin Shipyard Limited is the largest ship building and maintenance facility in India. It is part of a line of maritime related facilities in the port-city of Kochi, in the state of Kerala, India....
for a short refit scheduled to be completed in two months. As part of the refit the ship was cleaned, repaired and repainted to eliminate the problems faced by years of sea corrosion. Commanding officer Captain R Harikumar said there is enough life left in the ship to serve the navy until 2018.
Decommissioning Plans
In 2004, India bought the aircraft carrier Admiral GorshkovSoviet aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov
Admiral Gorshkov was a modified Kiev class aircraft carrier of the Russian Navy, originally named Baku. Sometimes Gorshkov is considered a separate class due to its improvements including a phased array radar, extensive electronic warfare installations, and an enlarged command and control suite...
from Russia for US$1.5 billion including its complement of aircraft. It is expected to enter service in 2013–2014 as INS Vikramaditya
INS Vikramaditya
INS Vikramaditya is the new name for the former Soviet aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov, which has been procured by India, and is estimated to enter service in the Indian Navy after 2012....
. Viraat was expected to be replaced by 2011–2012 by a new Vikrant class carrier that the Vikramaditya now represents. Since the Viraat has had its engine and hull refurbished and its electronics upgraded, it can serve until 2020. That would mean sixty years in service for the carrier. If INS Vikramaditya
INS Vikramaditya
INS Vikramaditya is the new name for the former Soviet aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov, which has been procured by India, and is estimated to enter service in the Indian Navy after 2012....
joins the Western Naval Fleet by 2012, the Indian Navy will soon have two Carrier Battle Groups. By 2015, the arrival of new Vikrant class carrier would mean that Indian Navy will have 3 Carrier Battle Groups in its arsenal.
Structure
Viraat is fitted with a 12° ski jump to operate the Sea Harrier, a reinforced flight deck, and 1.2 inches (3 cm) of armour over the magazines and machinery spaces. The magazine capacity includes at least 80 lightweight torpedoes. The vessel retains commando transport capability for up to 750 troops and carries four LCVP landing craft in the aft section.In a wartime scenario, the INS Viraat can embark up to 30 combat aircraft. INS Viraat is ideally suited for two missions: supporting amphibious operations
Amphibious warfare
Amphibious warfare is the use of naval firepower, logistics and strategy to project military power ashore. In previous eras it stood as the primary method of delivering troops to non-contiguous enemy-held terrain...
and conducting ASW
Anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....
operations. Despite its age and range considerations, INS Viraat can effectively project naval and air power anywhere in the South Asia region.
Air Group
(Capacity for 30 total)- Fleet Defence - Sea Harrier FRS51
- Airborne Early Warning - Kamov Ka-31 Helix-BKamov Ka-31|-See also:-External links:* *...
- ASW/ASV - Sea King Mk. 42BWestland Sea KingThe Westland WS-61 Sea King is a British licence-built version of the American Sikorsky S-61 helicopter of the same name, built by Westland Helicopters. The aircraft differs considerably from the American version, with Rolls-Royce Gnome engines , British made anti-submarine warfare systems and a...
and Kamov Ka-28 Helix-AKamov Ka-27|-See also:-External links:*... - Commando Assault and Vertical Replenishment - Sea King Mk. 42CWestland Sea KingThe Westland WS-61 Sea King is a British licence-built version of the American Sikorsky S-61 helicopter of the same name, built by Westland Helicopters. The aircraft differs considerably from the American version, with Rolls-Royce Gnome engines , British made anti-submarine warfare systems and a...
Combat Data Systems
The ship has been fitted with- Italian SELEX (former ELMER) communication suites
- CAAIS action data automation; Link 10
- SATCOM systems
Gallery
Image:INS Viraat.jpg
Image:Viraat.jpg
Image:INS Viraat Malabar 07.jpg
Image:INS Viraat sail Malabar 07.jpg
Image:Malabar 07-2 exercise.jpg
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Image:Harrier land Malabar 2007.jpg
Image:Harrier IN Malabar 07.jpg|A Sea Harrier takes off from the deck of the Viraat