India in talks with UK to use British design for future aircraft carrier

The Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier design is eyed by the Indian Navy for its future INS Vishal. Photo c/o The Warzone.


The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) is in talks with its British counterpart on the possibility of using British design and technology in building the Indian Navy’s future 65,000-ton aircraft carrier, the future INS Vishal, which is planned for construction starting 2022.

The design will be based on the Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier, with Indian officials already visited the Rosyth dockyard in Scotland where the Royal Navy carriers were built. The officials were also able to see the construction of the second ship of the class, the HMS Prince of Wales.

The Indian Navy aircraft carrier will be built in India as part of the “Make In India” program, but will allow UK companies to supply many of the parts needed.

Compared to the Queen Elizabeth-class, the Indian Navy requirement is to allow a heavier fighter aircraft than the Royal Navy’s Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, and would probably require a Catapult Assisted Take-off But Arrested Recovery (CATOBAR) system rather than a Short Take Off But Arrested Recovery (STOBAR) currently used in the Royal Navy ships.

Aside from the aircraft carrier proposal, the UK is also pushing to export a wide range of military equipment and capability, which were not identified.

The Queen Elizabeth-class was designed by UK’s BAE Systems and France’s Thales.

Should the Indian Navy proceed with the construction of the INS Vishal, they would have 3 aircraft carriers together with the older Soviet-based INS Vikramaditya, and the indigenously-produced INS Vikrant which is still under construction.


[1] The Economic Times India
[2] The Mirror UK
[3] The Drive - The Warzone

India in talks with UK to use British design for future aircraft carrier India in talks with UK to use British design for future aircraft carrier Reviewed by Asia Pacific Defense Journal on May 07, 2019 Rating: 5

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