Given the way that Indian defence procurement works, the 7th gen airborne combat platforms will be entering service before the Indians make a decision vis a vis Rafale and Shornet.
Maybe that's the plan re to retire the Shornet option and not make it seem as if it is a deliberate choice on their part. The current order book for Rafale would stretch into the second half of this decade, which would be well past the Shornet's end of production (est 2025) without a major order.
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Young pup yet, compared to the Virat (ex HMS Hermes), finally decommissioned in 2017, 73 years after being laid down, the first INS Vikrant was laid down as HMS Hercules in 1943 and decommissioned 54 years later.
Very true. If I were the Indian navy and looking at two new build carriers, I'd be wanting to divest myself of the old girl asap but then again, I've got my NATO/RN head on - manpower presumably is cheaper and more abundant in the Indian navy.
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They have far more CV experience than China and it does make sense for them to build another STOBAR CV whilst they get EMALS sorted. There is no reason why they can't build an indigenous EMALS system because they do have both the scientific and engineering expertise to do so. Look at their recent lunar lander; it was built and flown for 10% of the cost of a western vehicle, and it's achieving good results.Prepping For Another India-Made Aircraft Carrier: Navy's Big Announcement
Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar made a big announcement today, that the Navy is looking at a repeat order for an Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) after inducting INS Vikrant and preparing a case for it.
This is more then two weeks old, and actually at the same time during the launch the last P-17A frigate above. Indian Navy chief during the launch of Mahendragiri confirm (so far) that the 3rd carrier will be the sister ship from INS Vikrant.
Means all three Indian Carriers will be STOBAR version. I do see this as rational move on India, consider they are not mastering Emals catapult tech yet, unlike China. There's talk on acquiring US Emals in Indian forums and media. However considering India actually want more independent on their carrier, that move seems not being taken enthusiastic by all Indian political factions.
There's no doubt India have the expertise to do their own RnD. However we know the problem in India, even much of Asia is not the capabilities. It is political and bureaucracy will. On that side, China do have advantages on that matter.
I agree the bureaucracy is the problem, but it's so ingrained in Indian governance, culture, and way of life that it would be nigh on impossible to cauterize it from the body India.
Viraat/Hermes was laid down in 1944, but work suspended in 1945 because the war was over (many ships were scrapped unfinished), resumed in 1952 to clear the slipway, launched in 1953 then work suspended again, & finally commissioned in 1959, with an angled deck & other changes from the original design.