Published on November 15, 2013 at 7:18
Defence Minister AK Antony will arrive in Severodvinsk in north Russia tonight for the commissioning of aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya tomorrow at Sevmash Shipyard, Russia’s nuclear submarine building centre. The ceremony for handing over the former Kiev class carrier (formerly called Admiral Gorshkov) retrofitted and upgraded under Project 114430 at the cost of USD 2.3 billion will be attended by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin and senior government and naval officials of the two countries.INS Vikramaditya will be a game-changer, a potent floating airfield with supersonic fighters ready to fulfill India’s blue-water naval aspirations far across the oceans. It’s virtually a new ship after the refit. It will prove to be worth every penny invested,” said a senior officer.