Indian Navy has many beasts and long history behind them. Some of them are retired, some are under development and some are serving in Navy. But some ships have proved that ‘Old is Gold’. Here we are talking about INS Viraat.
It was expected to be decommissioning INS Viraat by 2015-16, but some upgradation made in it increased its life till 2020. As the maintenance cost of the ship was increasing, the decommissioning was later scheduled in 2016-17. Well, the future of the ship is assumed to be same as that of old INS Vikrant which hard to convert in a museum. Indian Navy gave three options for INS Viraat after decommissioning- sell it in an auction, making it a museum, or using it for target practice. But the idea of converting to a museum seems to be a bad choice as seen in the case of INS Vikraant. According to a Navy official, the average shelf life of an aircraft carrier is approx. 25 years. It has completed more than 50 years and has been in Indian Navy for more than 25 years which makes it different and special in the world. But, INS has over lived its life span. After the deal of Admiral Gorshkov for Indian navy as INS Vikramaditya, Indian Navy emphasized on new and good ships.
Its replacement will be INS Vikrant which was undocked a few days ago and is undergoing trails.
INS Viraat is the oldest aircraft carrier in the world which was built in the British era and still serving in Indian Navy. It is expected to get decommissioned in 2016-17. It was commissioned in 1959 in Royal Navy as HMS Hermes and later in 1987, it was transferred to India in a deal worth $ 63 million. It had got a few breaks during service, like in 1993, when water flooded into its engine but later it came back in service in 1995 and between 1999 & 2001 after which it came with several new upgraded parts extending its life till 2010. Latest rift was seen in 2012 which increased its life till 2016. It has four onboard squadrons of INAS 330, 552, 321 and 300. And still, it supports Indian Navy with INS Vikramaditya in service. INS Viraat has done a great job during its service and is going to leave the Indian Navy in next few years.
Indian Navy has seen many wars and has made India proud on every platform. But, as the need of modern and highly strong weapons and fleets is observed, then the aging machines need to be replaced. Compromise with national security is never spared. Not only Indian Navy but Indian Air Force is also heading to replace its aircrafts with indigenous and foreign bought aircrafts. Similarly, army is also on the way to upgrade the existing weapons and including new artillery guns and missiles for strengthening itself. Replacement is a rule of nature and it is essential for survival. Either you adapt according to the requirement or get replaced. So Viraat is going to be decommissioned and will be known for its exceptionally long life it served in Indian waters.
