As we all know, aircraft carriers, as mobile combat platforms, allow the military to exert military pressure and conduct combat operations far from its territory and without relying on local airfields. At the same time, the aircraft carrier also has powerful command and communication capabilities, which can coordinate combat operations between multiple ships, aircraft, and land forces, provide tactical guidance and battlefield intelligence, and enhance overall combat effectiveness. When it comes to aircraft carriers, the United States is undoubtedly the most powerful existence, holding 11 nuclear aircraft carriers, dominating the seas and acting as a prestige everywhere.
Against this background, various countries have accelerated the pace of their own aircraft carrier construction, among which India's "Vishal" nuclear-powered aircraft carrier program is particularly eye-catching. As Asia's first nuclear aircraft carrier, India is full of confidence in it, and as soon as the plan was proposed, it threatened to be 20 years ahead of China. And the American media couldn't sit still, and immediately came out to tout, saying: India, the third most stable in the world. So how many years have it been, what happened to the aircraft carrier?
The name "Vishal" aircraft carrier, in the planning of the Indian Navy, carries India's dream of becoming an aircraft carrier power in Asia. According to the plan, the aircraft carrier will have a full load displacement of 65000 tons, and 54 carrier-based aircraft will be placed on the deck. Compared with India's two aircraft carriers in service, the scale has increased a lot. But the dream is good, but the reality is cruel.
From a technical point of view, the construction of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is an extremely complex project. In the world, only the United States and France have successfully mastered the core technology of nuclear aircraft carriers. Although India has a certain amount of experience in aircraft carrier construction, it obviously lacks technical reserves and experience in the new field of nuclear power.
The development of nuclear power systems requires a series of technical problems such as reactor design, nuclear fuel supply, and radiation protection, which are not mature for India at present.
In addition, electromagnetic catapult technology is also the key to the construction of nuclear aircraft carriers. At present, only China and the United States have successfully mastered this technology and applied it to aircraft carriers. Although India has sought technical cooperation from the United States, the progress of cooperation has been slow due to various reasons. This means that India still needs to be self-reliant in electromagnetic catapult technology, which undoubtedly increases the difficulty of building nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.
In addition to the technical challenges, economic pressures are also a major challenge for India's nuclear aircraft carrier program. Building a nuclear aircraft carrier requires a huge capital investment, such as the USS Ford, which cost more than $13 billion. Although India's economy has developed rapidly in recent years, its industrial manufacturing chain is imperfect and immature.
It took more than 10 billion US dollars and more than 20 years to build, but the result was only a 40,000-ton conventional aircraft carrier, and many key components, systems, materials, etc. are dependent on imports, not really domestic.
For a long time, India's military industry has relied on imports, and its ability to innovate independently is insufficient, and the advanced fighters, missiles, and tanks in its hands are all purchased by the West.
This has led to a large gap in the research and development and production of high-end weapons and equipment in India. Once problems arise during the construction of the "Vishal" aircraft carrier, India may face difficulties in repairing and relying on foreign technical support.
This will not only affect the progress of the construction of aircraft carriers, but also negatively affect the overall strength of the Indian Navy. For the "Vishal", the Indian budget is $6 billion. But after many years, the progress has been very slow, and there has been no action in the past two years, and it is reported that the current investment is more than 3 billion rupees.
Some experts believe that India may have encountered a huge bottleneck, may not be able to build nuclear power, or will become a conventional aircraft carrier. What do you think?