#Centaur-class aircraft carrier

[vilaspatelvlogs]

सुप्रीम कोर्ट का बड़ा फैसला: एयरक्राफ्ट कैरियर INS विराट को तोड़ने पर कोर्ट ने लगाई रोक, 30 साल तक समुद्री तटों पर दे चुका है सेवाएं

सुप्रीम कोर्ट का बड़ा फैसला: एयरक्राफ्ट कैरियर INS विराट को तोड़ने पर कोर्ट ने लगाई रोक, 30 साल तक समुद्री तटों पर दे चुका है सेवाएं

Hindi News National INS Viraat: Indian Navy INS Viraat Aircraft Carrier Decommissioned Stayed By Supreme Court Ads से है परेशान? बिना Ads खबरों के लिए इनस्टॉल करें दैनिक भास्कर ऐप नई दिल्ली2 घंटे पहले कॉपी लिंक INS विराट को 2017 में रिटायर किया गया था। (फाइल फोटो) सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने नौसेना से 6 मार्च 2017 में रिटायर हो चुके एयरक्राफ्ट कैरियर INS विराट को तोड़ने पर रोक लगा दी है। बुधवार को कोर्ट…

[skyfire85]

-A Hawker Siddeley AV-8A atached to VMA-231 “Ace of Spades”, wearing a rare white and green camo pattern. | Photo: PH1 Rober Bennett

Flightline: 69 - Hawker Siddeley Harrier I

After the cancellation of the P.1154, the RAF went back to the drawing board, and issued a new requirement for a subsonic V/STOL strike aircraft. Hawker Siddeley advanced an upgraded Kestrel, designated P.1127 (RAF), and awarded a contract for six preproduction Harrier GR.1 in 1965, with the first taking flight on 31 August 1966. The RAF ordered 60 production Harriers in early 1967, which officially entered service in 1969. During the same year, Hawker Siddeley formed a partnership with McDonnell Douglas to produce aircraft for the US, though, through that decision was later reversed and the USMC’s order of 102 AV-8A and 8 TAV-8A trainers were produced on Hawker Siddeley’s Kingston upon Thames and Dunsfold factories.

-RAF Harrier GR.1 (the best looking version, don’t @ me) fitted with SNEB rocket pods. | Photo: Mike Freer - Touchdown-aviation

The P.1127/Kestrel KGA.1 and Harrier GR.1/AV-8A are broadly similar in appearance, but the two designs share less than 10% commonality. The Harrier was powered by the more powerful Pegasus 6 engine, and new air intakes with auxiliary blow-in doors were added to produce the required airflow at low speed. Its wing was modified to increase area, and the landing gear was strengthened. Several hardpoints for weapons or drop-tanks were installed, two under each wing and one underneath the fuselage, and provisions for two 30 mm (1.2 in) ADEN cannon gun pods were added to the underside of the fuselage. The Harrier was outfitted with updated avionics to replace the basic systems used in the Kestrel: a navigational-attack system incorporating an inertial navigation system, originally for the P.1154, was installed and information was presented to the pilot by a head-up display and a moving map display. USMC Harriers were further differentiated in that they were built without magnesium components, which were subject to corrosion. They were also fitted with American radios and IFF avionics, and the outer wing pylons were wired to carry AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles for self-defense.

-A USMC AV-8A from VMA-513 (The Flying Nightmares) preparing to land at NAS Whiting Field in 1982. | Photo: USMC

Development of the Harrier continued, with the GR.3 variant being introduced in the early 1980s. Featuring an uprated Pegasus engine, chisel nose incorporating a laser tracker, upgraded avionics and ECM equipment, 62 were converted from earlier GR.1/.1As, while an additional 40 new aircraft were built. In the US, the AV-8As were upgraded to AV-8C specs, mainly involving strengthening the structure and replacing earlier models of the Pegasus engine. During air-combat trials against USMC Phantoms, the Harrier’s pilots developed the concept of “viffing”: rotating the nozzles forward during a turn, which allowed the AV-8s to engage faster targets at close range.

-An RAF GR.3 at Stanley Airport in 1984. | Photo: Petebutt

In the early 1970's the Royal Navy faced the cancellation of the CVA carriers, which would have replaced the Centaur- and Audacious-class full-deck carriers, and as a result began to seek a V/STOL replacement for its Sea Vixen and Phantom FG.1 fighters. The answer came as a result of RN Lt. Cdr. D.R. Taylor’s M.Phil. thesis which postulated that an angled ramp would allow a V/STOL aircraft like the Harrier to take off on smaller decks while still carrying a combat load. Initial testing with various ramp angles was carried out at RAE Bedford, using the two-seat Harrier demonstrator G-VTOL during 1976 and ‘77, and proved that the more the ramp was angled the more of a performance boost was added. As a result, the RN commissioned the new Invincible-class light carriers, which incorporated the newly-christened ski-jump deck. To fly from these ships, Hawker Siddeley developed the Sea Harrier FRS.1.

-A lineup of Sea Harriers (In this camo, the second best looking Harrier. Again, don’t @ me) in 1980. | Photo: Mike Freer - Touchdown-aviation

Based on the upgraded Harrier GR.3, the Sea Harrier was further modified with a raised bubble canopy for improved visibility and a longer nose to incorporate the Ferranti Blue Fox radar. As with the American AV-8A, different alloys were used to prevent corrosion.

FRS.1 and GR.3 Harriers were soon pressed into service during the Falklands Islands War. Sea Harriers operated from the aircraft carriers HMS Invincible and HMS Hermes, acting as the primary air defense, shooting down 20 Argentine aircraft. The RAF’s GR.3s, meanwhile, were operating from two commandeered merchant container ships, Atlantic Conveyor and Atlantic Causeway, which were modified with temporary flight decks. Ten more GR.3s operated from the Hermes.

-Newsweek coverage of the Falklands conflict, showing HMS Hermes carrying Harrier FRS.1. | Screenshot: Newsweek magazine, 19 April 1982.

Along with the US and UK, Spain operated a force of ten Harriers, based on the USMC’s AV-8A, known as the VA-1 Matador, and the Indian Navy ordered a force of 30 (25 fighters and five trainers) Sea Harrier FRS.51 to operate from INS Vikrant (ex-HMS Hercules) and NS Viraat (ex-HMS Hermes).

-An AV-8S (VA-1) Matador of the Spanish Navy. | Photo: PH2 James Bishop

-INS Vikrant circa 1984 carrying a unique complement of Sea Harriers, Sea Hawks, Allouette & Sea King helicopters and Alize ASW aircraft. | Photo: Admiral Arun Prakash (ret.)

The GR.1, GR.3, AV-8A, -8C and Sea Harrier FRS.1 were all retired in the 1980s, and the Spanish Navy sold their VA-1 Matadors to the Thai Royal Navy in 1998. The Thai Harriers were retired in 2008, while the Indian FRS.51 were replaced in 2016 by MiG-29K aircraft. 

But the story doesn’t end there....

[casbooks]

Title: Sea Harrier Over the Falklands: The Black Death

Authors: Nigel MacCartan-Ward

ISBN: 9781937860400

Tags: A-4 Skyhawk, Aircraft Carrier, ARG ARA Argentine Navy (Armada de la República Argentina), ARG ARA General Belgrano, ARG ARA Narwal, ARG ARA Santa Fe (S-21), ARG FAA Argentine Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Argentina), Aviation, Avro Vulcan, Battle of Mount Tumbledown (Falklands), Boeing 707, Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth, Canberra B.2, F-15 Eagle, F-4 Phantom, F-5 Freedom Fighter, Falklands War (1982), Fishing Trawler, FLK Choiseul Sound, FLK Falklands, FLK Goose Green, FLK Port Stanley, FLK Port Stanley Airport, FLK San Carlos Bay, FLK South Georgia, Harrier GR.3, IA 58 Pucara, LearJet, LSL Sir Tristram, Mirage III, Mirage V Dagger, Operation Black Buck (Falklands War), Operation Corporate, Operation Corporate (Falklands War), Operation Paraquet/Paraquat (Falklands War), Operation Sutton (Falklands War), RAF HCU Harrier Conversion Unit, Raid on Pebble Island (Falklands War), SA 330 Puma, Sea Harrier FRS1, Submarine, Super Etendard, UK BA British Army, UK BA Scots Guards, UK BA Welsh Guards, UK RAF Alconbury, UK RAF No 1(F) Sqd, UK RAF Royal Air Force, UK RAF Wittering, UK RFA Resource (A480), UK RFA Royal Fleet Auxiliary, UK RFA Sir Galahad (L3005}, UK RFA Sir Tristram (L3505), UK RM 3 Commando Brigade, UK RM Royal Marines, UK RN Audacious-class aircraft Carrier, UK RN Centaur-class Aircraft Carrier, UK RN Churchill-Class Nuclear Submarine, UK RN County-Class Destroyer, UK RN FAA 700A Naval Air Sqd (Trials Unit), UK RN FAA 764 Naval Air Sqd (Air Warfare Instructor School)Argentine Air Force, UK RN FAA 800 Naval Air Sqd, UK RN FAA 801 Naval Air Sqd, UK RN FAA 820 Naval Air Sqd (ASW), UK RN FAA 892 Naval Air Sqd, UK RN FAA 899 Naval Air Headquarters Training Squadron, UK RN FAA Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm, UK RN HMS Alacrity (F174), UK RN HMS Antelope (F170), UK RN HMS Antrim (D18), UK RN HMS Ardent (F184), UK RN HMS Argonaut (F56), UK RN HMS Ark Royal (R09), UK RN HMS Arrow (F173), UK RN HMS Avenger (F185), UK RN HMS Brilliant (F90), UK RN HMS Broadsword (F88), UK RN HMS Cardiff (D108), UK RN HMS Conqueror (S48), UK RN HMS Coventry (D118), UK RN HMS Exeter (D89), UK RN HMS Glamorgan(D19), UK RN HMS Glasgow (D88), UK RN HMS Hermes (R12), UK RN HMS Invincible (R05), UK RN HMS Minerva (F45), UK RN HMS Plymouth (F126), UK RN HMS Sheffield (D80), UK RN HMS Yarmouth (F101), UK RN Invincible-class Aircraft Carrier, UK RN Leander-Class Frigate, UK RN Rothesay-Class Frigate, UK RN Royal Navy, UK RN Type 21 Frigate, UK RN Type 22 Frigate, UK RN Type 42 Guided Missile Destroyer, UK RNAS Brawdy, UK RNAS Yeovilton, UK SS Atlantic Conveyor, UK SS SS Canberra, USAF 527th Tactical Fighter Training and Aggressor Sqd, USAF Aggressor Sqd, USN Balao-class submarine, USN Brooklyn-Class Cruiser, USS Catfish (SS-339), USS Phoenix (CL-46)

Subject: Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Americas.Falklands War

Description: This intriguing book takes you to war in the cockpit of a fighter aircraft. It is more than an authoritative, first-hand and detailed account of the air war in the Falklands, 1982. Indeed, it is a real life and very exciting adventure story in which the author ‘calls a spade a spade’; revealing both the successes and the failures of the British air campaign.

The reader will gain an intimate insight into the persona of the Royal Navy fighter pilot which differs vastly from that of his RAF peers. That persona is aggressive, completely dedicated, thoroughly professional and pays no regard to “Crew duty times”. As a fully integrated part of the Naval Service, it achieves continued success in combat and has done so on behalf of the British public for the last 100 years of British carrier operations overseas.

Sharkey Ward commanded 801 Naval Air Squadron, HMS Invincible, during the Falklands War of April to June 1982 and was senior Sea Harrier adviser to the Command on the tactics, direction and progress of the air war. He flew over sixty war missions, achieved three air-to-air kills and took part in or witnessed a total of ten kills; he was also the leading night pilot and was decorated with the Distinguished Service Cross for gallantry.

Those are the bare facts, though they do no sort of justice to this remarkable and outspoken book, nor to its author. For what, after all, could twenty Sea Harriers, operating from a flight-deck bucketing about in the South Atlantic, do against more than 200 Argentine military aircraft flown by pilots who, as the raids against British shipping proved, displayed enormous skill and gallantry? The world knows the answer now; as it knows the debt owed to the author and his fellow flyers. What is puzzling, therefore, is this book's truthful depiction of the attitudes of some of the senior non-flying naval officers and of the RAF towards the men (and indeed the machine) that made possible the victory in the Falklands.

This extraordinary first-hand account charts the naval pilots' journey to the South Atlantic in clear and forthright detail and how they took on and triumphantly conquered the challenges they faced. It is a dramatic story, leavened with brilliant accounts of air-to-air fighting and of life in a squadron at sea and on a war footing. But it is also a tale of inter-Service rivalry, bureaucratic interference and the less-than-generous attitudes of a number of senior commanders who should certainly have known better; indeed, some of them might even have lost the campaign through a lack of understanding of air warfare— particularly if all their instructions had been followed to the letter and without question. The author puts the record straight.

For those who would like to know more about the iconic history of the Harrier jump jet and the appalling decisions that led to the misguided withdrawal of this aircraft from British service, this book provides the answers: especially within the Epilogue.

Admiral Sir ‘Sandy’ Woodward GBE KCB records his impressions of the book as follows:

'Maverick' he may have been, I know he enjoys the description, but if I were able to change anything in Sharkey's book, it would be to say that the short but complimentary quote of his captain, JJ Black, saying "he made a significant personal contribution to the defeat of the enemy" greatly understated Sharkey's contribution. And if I were to add anything in the way of general comment on Sea Harrier performance in 1982, it would be to say "Land forces usually claim that they are the only people who can win wars but without the Sea Harriers the land forces wouldn't have even have been given a chance to win the land battle in 1982".

Book Cover Illustration: A pair of Sea Harriers over the Falklands, 1982. They were christened “The Black Death” (La Muerte Negra) by the Argentine media during the war. **

[hms-exeter]

Modernised Amphion-class submarine HMS Anchorite (S64), C-class destroyer HMS Caesar (D07), Audacious-class aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal (R09) and Centaur-class aircraft carrier HMS Hermes (R12) seen during Exercise Jet '63 off Langkawi Island in the Malacca Straits, 7th July 1963.

Source

[bloggvalley]

Aircraft Carrier INS Viraat, Longest Serving Warship, To Be Dismantled

Aircraft Carrier INS Viraat, Longest Serving Warship, To Be Dismantled

INS Viraat, the 2nd Centaur-class aircraft carrier, served for 30 years before being decommissioned

Ahmedabad:

INS Viraat, the aircraft carrier that served the Indian Navy for 30 years before being decommissioned three years ago, is likely to be towed from Mumbai to Alang in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar district next month to be dismantled and sold as scrap, an official said.

The longest serving…

[mehanstarknews]

Aircraft Carrier INS Viraat, India’s Longest Serving Warship, To Be Dismantled In Gujarat INS Viraat, the 2nd Centaur-class aircraft carrier, served for 30 years before being decommissioned Ahmedabad: INS Viraat, the aircraft carrier that served the Indian Navy for 30 years before being decommissioned three years ago, is likely to be towed from Mumbai to Alang in Gujarat's Bhavnagar district next month to be dismantled and sold as scrap, an official said.

[newzzhub]

Aircraft Carrier INS Viraat, India’s Longest Serving Warship, To Be Dismantled In Gujarat INS Viraat, the 2nd Centaur-class aircraft carrier, served for 30 years before being decommissioned Ahmedabad: INS Viraat, the aircraft carrier that served the Indian Navy for 30 years before being decommissioned three years ago, is likely to be towed from Mumbai to Alang in Gujarat's Bhavnagar district next month to be dismantled and sold as scrap, an official said.

[newsupdated]

Aircraft Carrier INS Viraat, India’s Longest Serving Warship, To Be Dismantled In Gujarat INS Viraat, the 2nd Centaur-class aircraft carrier, served for 30 years before being decommissioned Ahmedabad: INS Viraat, the aircraft carrier that served the Indian Navy for 30 years before being decommissioned three years ago, is likely to be towed from Mumbai to Alang in Gujarat's Bhavnagar district next month to be dismantled and sold as scrap, an official said.

[casbooks]

Title: Scram!

Authors: Harry Benson

ISBN: 9781409051978

Tags: A-4 Skyhawk, Airborne, Ajax Bay (Falklands), ARA General Belgrano, ARA Guerrico (P-32), ARA Santa Fe, Argentina, Argentine Air Force, Argentine Army, Argentine Naval Aviation, Argentine Navy, Artillery, Ascension Island, Aviation, Avro Vulcan, B.125 Bulldog, Battle of Goat Ridge (Falklands), Battle of Goose Green (Falklands), Battle of Mount Harrier (Falklands), Battle of Mount Longdon (Falklands), Battle of Mount Tumbledown (Falklands), Battle of Mount William (Falklands), Battle of Pebble Island (Falklands), Battle of Two Sisters (Falklands), Battle of Wireless Ridge (Falklands), Blue Beach (Falklands), Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth, CASEVAC, CH-47 Chinook, Darwin (Falklands), DHC-1 Chipmunk, Estancia House (Falklands), Falklands War (1982), Fitzroy (Falklands), Fortuna Glacier (Falklands), FS Drummond-class Corvette, Green Beach (Falklands), Gurkha, H-3 Sea King, H-34 Choctaw, Harrier, Helicopter, HRH Prince Andrew - Duke of York, IA 58 Pucara, IAI Dagger, Junglies (UK RN FAA), Lieutenant Alfredo Astiz (ARA), Medevac helicopter, Mirage III, Mount Kent (Falklands), Operation Black Buck (Falklands War), Operation Corporate (Falklands War), Operation Paraquet/Paraquat (Falklands War), Operation Sutton (Falklands War), Port San Carlos (Falklands), Port Stanley (Falklands), Port Stanley Airport (Falklands), Rapier SAM, Red Beach (Falklands), SA.342 Gazelle, San Carlos Bay (Falklands), Sea Harrier, South Georgia (Falklands), South Thule (Falklands), SpecOps, Submarine, Super Etendard, Sussex Mountains (Falklands), UK 2 Para, UK 22 SAS, UK 29 Commando Royal Artillery, UK 3 Commando Brigade, UK 3 Para, UK 5 Infantry Brigade, UK 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles, UK AAC 656 Sqd, UK British Army, UK British Army Air Corps, UK Commando Helicopter Squadron (UK RN FAA), UK HMS Antrim (D18), UK HMS Ardent (F184), UK HMS Arrow (F173), UK HMS Broadsword (F88), UK HMS Conqueror (S48), UK HMS Coventry (D118), UK HMS Endurance, UK HMS Fearless (L10), UK HMS Glamorgan(D19), UK HMS Hermes (R12), UK HMS Intrepid (L11), UK HMS Invincible (R05), UK HMS Plymouth (F126), UK HMS Sheffield (D80), UK MV Norland, UK MV Queen Elizabeth II, UK Paras, UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, UK RAF No 101 Sqd, UK RAF No 18 Sqd, UK RAF No 44 Sqd, UK RAF No 50 Sqd, UK RFA Engadine (K08), UK RFA Fort Austin (A386), UK RFA Green Rover (A268), UK RFA Olna (A123), UK RFA Regent (A486), UK RFA Resource (A480), UK RFA Sir Galahad (L3005}, UK RFA Sir Lancelot (L3029), UK RFA Tidepool (A76), UK RFA Tidespring (A75), UK RM 3 CDO Brigade Air Sqd, UK RM 40 Commando, UK RM 42 Commando, UK RM 45 Commando, UK RM Naval Party 8901, UK RN Centaur-class Aircraft Carrier, UK RN Churchill-Class Nuclear Submarine, UK RN County-Class Destroyer, UK RN FAA 737 Naval Air Sqd, UK RN FAA 800 Naval Air Sqd, UK RN FAA 801 Naval Air Sqd, UK RN FAA 820 Naval Air Sqd, UK RN FAA 825 Naval Air Sqd, UK RN FAA 829 Naval Air Sqd, UK RN FAA 845 Naval Air Sqd (Commando), UK RN FAA 846 Naval Air Sqd (Commando), UK RN FAA 847 Naval Air Sqd (Commando), UK RN FAA 848 Naval Air Sqd (Commando), UK RN Fearless-Class LPD, UK RN Invincible-class Aircraft Carrier, UK RN Rothesay-Class Frigate, UK RN Type 21 Frigate, UK RN Type 22 Frigate, UK RN Type 42 Guided Missile Destroyer, UK RNAS Merryfield Airfield, UK RNAS Predannack Airfield, UK RNAS Yeovilton, UK Royal Air Force (RAF), UK Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), UK Royal Marines, UK Royal Navy, UK Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm (RN FAA), UK Scots Guards, UK Sgt Ian MacKay (3 Para), UK Sir Rex Masterman Hunt, UK Special Air Service (SAS), UK Special Boat Squadron (SBS), UK SS Atlantic Causeway, UK SS Atlantic Conveyor, UK SS Canberra, UK SS Uganda, UK Welsh Guards, USS Catfish (SS-339), Victoria Cross, Westland AH.1 Scout, Westland Lynx, Westland Wessex, Wideawake Airfield (Ascension Island)

Subject: Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Americas.Falklands War

Description: 'Scram! Scram! was all I heard though my coms as I caught sight of two Argentine A-4 Skyhawks blasting through bomb alley toward the anchored British flotilla. In front of me every ship opened up with everything they had as missiles and tracer streaked though the sky to meet the incoming aircraft. All we could do as helicopter pilots caught out in the open was head for the hills. Literally.'

Soon after the Argentine army invaded the Falklands in the early hours of 2 April 1982, it was the Royal Navy commando helicopter pilots, nicknamed junglies, who flew most of the land-based missions in the Falklands in their Sea King and Wessex helicopters. Facing both mortar fire and head-on attacks by Argentine jets, they inserted SAS patrols at night, rescued survivors of Exocet attacks, mounted daring missile raids, as well as supporting the British troops and evacuating casualties, often in appalling weather conditions.

Harry Benson was a twenty-one-year-old junglie Wessex pilot, fresh out of training, when war started. He has interviewed over forty of his former colleagues for this book creating a fast-paced, meticulously researched and compelling account written by someone who was there, in the cockpit of a Wessex helicopter.

Scram!

The thrilling untold story of the young helicopter pilots and aircrew who risked their lives during the brief but ferocious Falklands War.

'Scram', broadcast over the helicopter control radio net during the Falklands War thirty years ago in 1982 meant 'take cover from Argentine fighters'. This call was a regular feature of life down south, especially during the first six days after we landed while the Royal Navy fought and won the Battle of San Carlos Water; arguably the toughest fight by British ships against enemy air since Crete in 1941.

As the Argentine fighter/bombers came barrelling in I would watch heart in mouth as the junglies headed for folds in the ground, remaining burning and turning until the enemy had left.

We went south with far too few helicopters initially. Those we had were flown every hour they could be; often with bullet holes in fuselages, red warning lights on in cockpits. One of the three BAS Scout helicopters had a bullet hole in the tail section patched with the lid from a Kiwi boot polish tin. Today's health and safety nerds would have had an apoplectic fit.

In April 1982 Harry Benson was a 21-year-old Royal Navy commando helicopter pilot, fresh out of training and one of the youngest helicopter pilots to serve in the Falklands War. These pilots, nicknamed 'junglies', flew most of the land-based missions in the Falklands in their Sea King and Wessex helicopters. Much of what happened in the war - the politics, task force ships, Sea Harriers, landings, Paras and Marines - is well-known and documented. But almost nothing is known of the young commando helicopter pilots and aircrewmen who made it all happen on land and sea. This is their 'Boys Own' story, told for the very first time.

Harry Benson has interviewed forty of his former colleagues for the book creating a tale of skill, initiative, resourcefulness, humour, luck, and adventure. This is a fast-paced, meticulously researched and compelling account written by someone who was there, in the cockpit of a Wessex helicopter.

[dungtranmilitary]

INS Vikrant R11, a Majestic-class light carrier, serving in the Indian Navy from 1961 to 1997, effectively fought in the 1971 war. Meanwhile, INS Viraat, formerly the HMS Hermes carrier of British Royal Navy Centaur-class, joined the Indian Navy in 1987 and served until 2016. These carriers have provided the South Asian nation a considerable experience in carrier-engaged military operations, as well as becoming a compelling reason for New Delhi to decide to maintain the presence of aircraft carriers in the navy.

[thedailyexcelsior]

Aircraft carrier INS Viraat decommissioned

Aircraft carrier INS #Viraat decommissioned

MUMBAI: Aircraft carrier INS Viraat today sailed into sunset, after 30 years with the Indian Navy.

The warship was decommissioned this evening, at an impressive ceremony onboard and in the presence of Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba and top armed forces officials.

INS Viraat was the second centaur-class aircraft carrier which was in service with Indian Navy for 30 years.

The aircraft carrier, in…

[thedailyexcelsior]

INS Viraat to be decommissioned on March 6

#INSViraat to be decommissioned on March 6

MUMBAI:  INS Viraat, the second aircraft carrier in the Indian naval fleet, will be decommissioned on March 6, Vice Admiral Girish Luthra said here today.

“INS Viraat is the second centaur class aircraft carrier in service which has spent 30 years in the Indian Navy and before that 27 years in the Royal Navy of UK.

“After the decommissioning of INS Viraat, we will be short of two aircraft…