Russia reminded of the deadline for the delivery of Vikramaditya
High-ranking Indian officials recently visited Russia to remind her in no uncertain terms that Vikramaditya (the former Russian Gorshkov), which is currently being renovated and modernized at a Russian shipyard, should be ready on time (March 2012) for sea trials. Indians had cause for concern. Last April, the first 152 Indian sailors arrived in Russia with the goal of starting training at Vikramaditya. The Indians arrived to familiarize themselves with all the ship systems in order to train other 1250 crew members. But at the same time, the Indian seamen could see for themselves what progress the Russian shipbuilders had made in preparing Vikramaditya for work. Obviously, some of their reports were not encouraging. This led to reminders at a very high level. The Russians promised to do everything necessary to ensure that the aircraft carrier was ready on time.
This project is already four years behind schedule and has exceeded the original budget by $ 1,5 billion. This has become the main cause of hostility between Russia and India. The situation got even worse when it turned out that Russian officials bribed their Indian colleagues as an excuse for the delays. Ten months ago, it was made public that after a year of investigation, a senior naval officer (commodore, equivalent to the rank of US Rear Admiral, Sukhjinder Singh), responsible for the Gorshkov aircraft carrier procurement project, was found guilty and dismissed from fleet.
The harm, however, has already been done. Two years ago, after five years of bargaining, India agreed to pay Russia an additional $ 1,3 billion so that the Russian aircraft carrier Gorshkov was repaired in accordance with Indian requirements. The initial price was about a billion dollars, but as soon as the Russians started to work, the situation became more complicated and out of control. Indians are not thrilled with price increases. Commodore Singh was one of the key figures in the negotiations and was accused of accepting a bribe from the Russian side to ensure that Russia receives the best terms of the deal. However, Singh was fired mainly because he turned out to have an affair with a Russian woman. There was not enough evidence for criminal prosecution for corruption. Be that as it may, India wanted to express outrage, especially in the light of the mess that the Gorshkov modernization project had become.
Other Indian naval officers have already admitted that they were partly to blame for the Gorshkov fiasco. They admit that during the signing of the deal in 2004, Indian engineers did not inspect the Gorshkov thoroughly and agreed after a cursory inspection that many of the electrical and mechanical components hidden in the ship's hull are in good condition. Subsequently, it turned out that many of these components are inoperable and should be replaced for big money. Soon after signing the contract, the Russians found that the shipyard had messed up with the Gorshkov’s drawings, and from there everything was rolling.
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