The aircraft-carrier is currently under reconstruction at the naval yard Sevmash in Severodvinsk. As reported by BarentsObserver.com last week, Russian president Dmitri Medvedev expressed major dissatisfaction with Sevmash’ handling of the aircraft carrier when he visited the naval yard on the White Sea coast.
According to a 2004 agreement the refitted aircraft-carrier should be sold to the Indian navy for 617 million USD, far below what Sevmash today says will be the price-tag for the reconstruction of the old 44.000 tons warship.
To end the long – and what Russia’s President Medvedev calls “the sole irritant’ in Indo-Russian relations” - this week Russia and India come together in New Delhi for the final price negotiations.
In what is said to be the firm and final price, India will pay around 2.2 billion USD to Sevmash, a top Indian official told The Times of India after Wednesday’s negotiations.
Most of the trials will still be held in the Barents Sea, apart from training of Indian pilots for MiG-29K take-offs and landings from Russian carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, some of the training will also be conducted in Indian waters to cut costs, according to The Times of India.
The newspaper writes that Indian defence minister A K Antony, told the Indian Parliament on Wednesday that “acceptance trials” for delivery of the aircraft-carrier to India are `expected to be completed in December 2012.
Upon takeover from the Sevmash yard, Admiral Gorshkov will be renamed INS Vikramaditya.
