India Receives New Aircraft Carrier

 On Saturday the Indian Navy formally took delivery of the INS Vikramaditya. The aircraft carrier is the former Soviet Admiral Gorshkov, which has been refurbished and retrofitted by the Sevmash shipyard at Severodvinsk in the north of European Russia (see story page 22). India’s defense minister, Arackaparambil Kurian Antony, attended the ceremony. The delivery acceptance document was signed by Rosoboronexport’s deputy general director Igor Sevastyanov and by Commodore Suraj Berry, the new captain of the vessel. Later this month Vikramaditya will leave Russian waters for its long transit to its new homeport at Goa. The carrier will not arrive until late January or early February.