For ten years or so, the Indian Navy doctrine has provided for having 3 aircraft carriers by 2030. In addition to the Vikramaditya already in service, and the Vikrant under construction, both ships equipped with a springboard, the Indian Navy was, in the early 2020s, to begin construction of the Vishal, a heavier aircraft carrier equipped, this time, with catapults, making it possible to launch devices with a higher fuel and ammunition load, and therefore to increase their operational capacities.
But India has also been facing a significant economic slowdown for two years, and several military programs have already borne the brunt of it. The Indian Navy has been particularly affected by the budget revision, and the fleet size in 2 has thus been revised downwards, from 2030 ships planned to only 200. And the aircraft carrier Vishal is likely to be part of the programs that will be delayed, if not simply canceled. At least that's what emerges from a interview given by the Indian Chief of Staff, General Bipin Rawat, in which he presents the Vishal program as not being "topical" in the face of the immediate needs of the Indian Navy.
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