INS Viraat (R22) is a Centaur-class aircraft carrier currently in service with the Indian Navy.
HMS Hermes was commissioned into the Royal Navy in November 1959
Then sold to India in 1984.
Refitted, the ship was commissioned into the Indian Navy as the Viraat in May 1987.
In September 1993, the engine room of Viraat flooded, temporarily putting the vessel out of service for several months. By 1995, the vessel was back in service and had a new search radar.
Between July 1999 and April 2001, INS Viraat completed another life-extension refit which is expected to extend her serviceability till 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 in February 2001. Wing commander Ashoka Padmanabhan flew the Tigermoth-B970 past its deck anchored at 1.5 nautical km from the Gateway of India. The vessel had to be towed back to dry dock for another refit in mid-2003 and returned to service only in November 2004, during which the vessel was fitted with the Barak SAM[5] [6].
Refitted again from July 1999 to December 2000, Viraat returned to the fleet in June 2001 and is planned to remain in service until 2010, by which time a 32 000-ton CTOL carrier (which has been approved for construction) is scheduled to enter service.
INS Viraat is the flagship of the Indian Navy, the oldest carrier afloat, and one of the two aircraft carriers in the Indian Ocean Region.
Modernisation
The Hindu news Sunday, Mar 08, 2009
by S. Anandan
Docked here for its third extensive life-enhancing refit, the 28,700-tonne warship will go through major modernisation and upgrade of systems before heading home to Mumbai in July.
“The ship’s keel as well as the basic underwater hull is very strong. We have inspected it and apart from minor routine repairs, as prescribed by its manufacturers, it can easily remain fully operational for another five to seven years,” affirms Captain Anil Kumar Chawla, who took over the Viraat’s command in December last.
Viraat’s refit plan looks at the carrier in its entirety. “The hull is being given extra metal plating, wherever required. A major overhaul of its propulsion system, comprising twin steam turbines, is also being done. The boilers are being retubed and the main engines overhauled. Its electronic systems like radars, essentially the surveillance and navigation ones, landing aids and communication equipment are also being upgraded,” Captain Chawla told The Hindu.
That is besides the routine maintenance check, cleaning of hydraulics and sprucing up of every equipment and component of the carrier.
“The Viraat, being a steamship, sails a lot, sometimes more than three months at a stretch. It really has amazing endurance. The keel of the ship was laid in 1943. In the West, generally, they would not put so much effort to maintain it as well as we did. They would, instead, have built a new one,” says Captain Chawla.
He vouches that the Viraat and the decommissioned Vikrant have helped the Indian Navy keep alive the expertise of running an aircraft carrier and the technological spin-offs have been tremendous.
INS Viraat’s hull plating is as thick as 4.5 to 5 inches in the armoured sections, far thicker than most modern ship hulls as the thrust of late has shifted to cost-effectiveness and weight-speed ratio.
“Ship-weight is coming down these days and hulls are getting thinner. Maybe, the life of such ships would be about 30 years. That’s the trend,” he says.
As the giant of the Indian waters gets a fresh lease of life, its main aircraft, the Sea Harriers, are also getting a much-needed makeover. “We can safely assume that the life of the aircraft will last the life of the ship,” avers Captain Chawla.
The Navy plans to bring out a coffee-table book on its 50th birthday. |
Layout: www.wikimedia.name
www.aircraftcarrier.name by wikimedia.name is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Norway License.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at www.aircraftcarrier.name/copyright. 
