A tiger without teeth.
Air craft carrier with out Air power.
Warships normally have a operational life of 30 years after which they are invariably decommissioned. It is to the credit of the Indian Navy that the steam propulsion Viraat is still materially operational for Sea Harrier flying.

The Harriers are also aging and being selectively upgraded by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) with new Elta 2032 radars and Derby missiles (Grounded in UK 2006.)four services refit has done from it’s induction in India navy.

HMS Hermes was laid down before the end of WWII but was only completed in 1959 after many changes in design to accommodate the new jet aircraft. When the new Sea Harrier came into operation she was given a special ramp to allow her to operate the new aircraft. She was flagship in the Falkland's conflict in 1982 and only two years later put into reserve and subsequently sold to India.

India's maritime ambitions of the 21st Century are premised on a balanced fleet of surface ships which includes a three aircraft carrier fleet, two dozen conventional and nuclear powered submarines and more than 100 aerial assets including UAVs to support the fleet.

INS Viraat originally was commissioned in the British Royal Navy as: HMS Hermes in 1959; India bought the vessel in 1986. It was commissioned as INS VIRAAT on 12 May 1987. The aircraft carrier earlier underwent a refit in 1999-2001. It completed a major refit at Cochin Shipyards from 1999 through April 2001. This refit extended the ship's service life until 2010 and included upgrades to the ship's propulsion systems, its radar suite, communications systems, elevator upgrades, and new weapon systems.

In September 1993, the engine room of Viraat was flooded, temporarily putting the vessel out of service. By 1995, the vessel was back with a new search radar.
Apart from some major and minor refits at different times, including one in 2006, INS Viraat underwent an extensive life-extension refit in 1999-2000, with new and upgraded propulsion, sensors, sonar, radars, weapons, communication and flood-control systems.

Flagship of the Indian Navy, INS Viraat (R-22) put into major refit in late 2003 and took more than a year to become fighting fit again. The 45-year-old carrier was in dry-dock at Kochi for most of the year. Elaborate repairs and refitting had to be carried out on India's lone aircraft carrier in dry dock to keep it going

This refit extended the ship's service life until 2010 and included upgrades to the ship's propulsion systems, its radar suite, communications systems, elevator upgrades, and new weapon systems.

Viraat moved into Cochin Shipyard's dry dock late in 2008 to undergo the mandatory maintenance refit and repair and it came back to service in Aug 2009. On 12 May 2009, INS Viraat would complete 23 years of its service with the Indian Navy. Taking into account its British Royal Navy service in its earlier avatar as HMS Hermes, the warship will complete 50 years on 18 November 2009.

INS Viraat, meaning giant in Sanskrit and which has a crew of 1,800 personnel, was docked at Cochin Shipyard Ltd for the past year for repair and maintenance The refit will increase the aircraft carrier’s sea life with the Indian Navy till 2015.

The Indian Navy has suspended flights of its fleet of carrier-based Sea Harrier fighter jets following a fatal crash of one of the aircraft off Goa in August 2009 . Viraat is fitted with a ‘ski jump’ enabling the Sea Harrier VSTOL jump jets to take off from the flight deck with greater payload. The carrier would also have Sea King helicopters embarked for providing anti-submarine cover

“The Sea Harriers have been grounded following the crash that left a fighter pilot dead,” the Times of India newspaper quoted Navy officials as saying.The 10 Sea Harrier jump jets will remain on an airfield in the Goa province until the probe into the crash is completed, the officials said. Following a series of crashes since induction, the Navy is now left with just 10 Sea Harriers of the over 20 it had bought in mid-1980s

The decision to ground the Sea Harriers leaves India’s only aircraft carrier, the Viraat, practically without air power.The 50-year-old Viraat recently left dry dock at the Cochin Shipyard following an 18-month comprehensive refit, and is expected to become fully operational in two months.

The Viraat was fitted at state-owned Cochin Shipyard with new fire control equipment, navigation radars, improved nuclear, biological and chemical protection, and deck landing aids. The ship's Russian-made Kashtan air defense system was sent to Russia for repair.

The aircraft carrier also has been fitted with the Israeli Barak air defense system and the anti-ship cruise missile BrahMos.The Navy's long-term plans include a blue water force with six aircraft carriers and improvements in littoral warfare capabilities.

INS Viraat originally was commissioned in the British Royal Navy as HMS Hermes in 1959; India bought the vessel in 1986. The aircraft carrier earlier underwent a refit in 1999-2001.

Displacement: 28,700 tons full load
Dimensions: 650 x 90 x 29 feet/198 x 27.4 x 8.8 meters
Extreme Dimensions: 744 x 160 x 29 feet/226.7 x 48.8 x 8.8 meters
Propulsion: Steam turbines, 4 boilers, 2 shafts, 76,000 shp, 28 knots
Crew: 1830 + 270 air group
Speed: 28 Knots. Armament: Ten 40mm AA guns and eight SAM missile launchers arranged in two sets of four. Aircraft: 28.

Concept/Program: An ex-RN light fleet carrier, initially completed to an extensively modernized design and later converted to a VSTOL carrier, purchased upon retirement from RN service. This ship was probably meant to replace the ailing Vikrant, although that ship remained nominally in service for another decade. Now India's only carrier.

Design: Fitted with an angled deck, but the takeoff path is oriented axially; there is a skijump at the bow.

Operational: The ship is in reasonably good condition, but will require replacement by 2007-2010.after refit will stay till 2015.

India had decided to buy the Harriers in the mid-1970s as part of its efforts to build a blue water navy, while their actual deliveries began in 1983. India purchased 30 Sea Harriers in 1983, using 25 of these for operational flying and the remaining to train pilots. Since then seven pilots have died in 17 crashes involving the Sea Harrier and more than half of the fleet is now gone, lost mostly to routine sorties. Another Sea Harrier was been lost in 21 August 2009 killing the pilot. This brings the fleet to 11 aircraft. All the 11 fighters have been grounded until further checks

Beginning 1983, Navy had inducted around 30 Sea Harriers, which take off from the angled ski-jump on INS Viraat and land vertically on its deck. But it has lost over half of them in accidents.

The remaining have undergone a "limited upgrade'' under a Rs 477-crore project, which includes Israeli Elta EL/M-2032 multi-mode fire control radar and Derby beyond visual range air-to-air missilesThe Indian Navy plans to use the Sea Harriers till around 2020.

Engines for Indian Sea Harriers were supplied by Rolls Royce while the aircraft have been maintained and upgraded - as prime contractor - by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

INDIA arms industry is full of scandals and looting Mela as like Pakistan Air craft carrier with out air power is not joke? it is going to station in ADEN next month.
Usman karim lmno25@hotmail.com