South West Air Command soon to have a Su-30MKI squadron; Indian Navy begins INS Vikramaditya induction process
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Whatsapp
  • Linkedin
  • Print

    • According to Air Marshal AK Gogoi, AOC-in-C of SWAC, the Indian Air Force's South West Air Command (SWAC) will have a Su-30MKI squadron permanently based at Jodhpur sometime in the next two years. Air Marshal Gogoi said the air force was strengthening itself and would be able to deal with any sort of threat especially from Pakistan and China. He also said the IAF was expecting an increase in the number of fighter squadrons after 2012. The Air Force has been facing shortage of aircraft for a considerable period of time.1

    The Indian Navy has started preparing itself to take charge of the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya (Admiral Gorshkov) from Russia. The first batch of officers and sailors has commenced training in Russia ahead of its induction next year. The Indian Navy has sent a 152-member crew for training on the 45,000-tonne aircraft carrier in St. Petersburg, Russia. The warship is to be delivered by December 2012.The INS Vikramaditya project, sanctioned in January 2004 envisaged delivery of the warship in August 2008 but it got delayed over price with Russia demanding $2.9 billion to carry out repair and re-equipping for converting the cruiser into an aircraft carrier. The aircraft carrier’s superstructure profile has the potential to accommodate powerful planar or phased array radar systems with the 'billboard style' antennae, which was first observed on the United States Navy's USS Long Beach, along with extensive command and control facilities to conduct an aerial campaign. The ship will also be equipped with a robust combination of air defence weaponry, such as a SAM and/or a CIWS.2

    Top