Interesting photographs and a video of INS 
Vikramaditya, India's latest Aircraft Carrier

Gigantic Engineering feet to convert a junk to an aircraft carrier!!

1. http://www.sdelanounas.ru/blogs/18435/?pid=138105 showing pictures taken of the Vikramaditya leaving harbour for sea trials

2. Returning to harbour

3. video of the first landing trials of the MIG 29K

4. pictures of how the Gorshkov got transformed into the Vikramaditya

Viewers may note that the Yard concerned doesnt have a dry dock. It has a dry basin, a huge area that is flooded and drained as necessary with different spots used to locate the docking ways for different ships.

5. some aerial views at sea
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With the first squadron of carrier-based fly-by-wire MiG-29 K fighters to be formally inducted into the navy next month, India is now keeping its fingers crossed on Russia delivering the 45,000-tonne INS Vikramaditya aircraft carrier by 2013 end, after a delay of over five years.
The Admiral Gorshkov warship will be put on trial on Barents Sea between May and July and commissioned by Sevmash shipyard on White Sea in November 2013.

Government sources said the 2012 “boiler furnace brickwork” problem, encountered in seven of the eight boilers, had been rectified and the Naval Headquarters believes that the ship — modification and refitting of which would cost around $2.3 billion — will be on India’s western seaboard by November-December this year.

With India’s sole aircraft carrier — the 54-year-old INS Viraat — undergoing an overhaul and scheduled to join active duty by mid-2013, there is urgency in the acquisition of Vikramaditya as the Chinese PLA Navy will put its aircraft carrier Liaoning on high sea trial this year. 

Acquired as junk named Varyag from Ukraine, Liaoning— refurbished at the Dalian shipyard — is expected to acquire combat capability within two years.

As a first step towards formally acquiring Vikramaditya, 16 aircraft of Russian MiG-29 K fighters will be commissioned into the Indian Navy in Goa on May 11. 

While this squadron of multi-role fighters will be christened 303 squadron, the navy will acquire another 29 aircraft for its second squadron.

The new aircraft carrier will be based at Karwar in Karnataka under the Western Naval Command and will give India the much needed long legs in the Indian Ocean region.

“The delivery of INS Vikramaditya figured in summit meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Delhi on December 24, 2012. We hope that high sea aviation and speed trials of INS Vikramaditya would be smooth,” said a defence ministry official.


http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/NAVY/Aviation/Squadrons/210-INAS-303.html

INAS 303 "Black Panthers" (IFTU)

The Indian Navy formed an Intensive Flying Training Unit (IFTU) to handle the induction of  its new Mig-29K/KUB fighter aircraft into the Fleet Air Arm which started arriving at INS Hansa since December 2009. 

The IFTU, under the command of Cdr AD Theophilus, presently has 10 Mig-29K qualified pilots along with four US Navy trained pilots who are undergoing conversion to the Mig-29K aircraft. The unit also has 4 Mig-29K and 2 Mig-29KUB aircraft on strength.

The first four Mig-29K/KUB aircraft, IN 801, IN 802 (Mig29K) and IN 671, IN 672 (Mig-29KUB) were formally inducted into the Navy on 19 Feb 2010 at INS Hansa during a ceremeony replete with flying displays by Hansa based units including a display by the Sagar Pawans of INAS 551, an IL-38SD, two Do-228, a SHAR T4I of INAS 552 and a Chetak of INAS 321.

When the IFTU is commissioned as INAS 303 "Black Panthers" sometime in May-June 2010, it will be the second fighter squadron in the Indian Navy's Air Arm.