India's second aircraft carrier INS Viraat may get decommissioned by 2018

The Indian Navy has set up a technical board to ascertain how much life is left in aircraft carrier Indian Navy Ship (INS) Viraat. The warship may get decommissioned by 2018.

When asked if INS Viraat will complement INS Vikramaditya (currently operational) and INS Vikrant (under construction at Cochin Shipyard Limited) once it's commissioned, Vice Admiral Anil Chopra, flag officer commander-in-chief of Western Naval Command, replied, “INS Viraat is an old ship and we have operated her for 27 years.”

To find out if INS Viraat will be in service till 2018 or not a survey needs to be done. “The technical board has been appointed to check if it can last till then, so that the Indian Navy has three aircraft carriers at a given point of time,” he added.

Presently, India has two aircraft carriers in its fleet — INS Viraat and INS Vikramaditya.

At the moment, dismantling of India’s first aircraft carrier INS Vikrant is going on at the ship-breaking yard of Lakdibunder near Darukhana in south Mumbai.

Chopra said, “The board will determine how much life is now left in Godavari Class frigates. The Godavari Class warships — INS Godavari, INS Ganga and INS Gomti — were commissioned in the 1980’s.”

The aging guided missile frigates will be among the first to get decommissioned from the active fleet.

Meanwhile, Board of Inquiry on submarine INS Sindhurakshak tragedy (on August 14, 2013) has been completed and sent to Naval headquarters. The naval officer did not reveal the details and contents of the report as it is being studied by the headquarters.