India shipyards are notoriously unreliable, and a "Vitrant" aircraft carrier, from the start of construction to the completion and launch, took almost 20 years, setting a global record for aircraft carrier construction time. According to India media reports, the India Navy's "Brahmaputra" missile frigate suddenly caught fire in the process of being refitted and upgraded at the Bombay dockyard, and the area of the fire was not small.India Although the fire was later brought under control, the ship suffered serious damage, causing the entire hull to lose its balance and eventually roll over. In addition, the fire also caused a crew member to go missing, and the India Navy is currently searching for it.
As for the cause of the fire, the India Navy has begun to investigate. For the India Navy, such a safety accident is simply like eating a common meal. In April 2019, the India Navy's active aircraft carrier Vikramaditya caught fire during maintenance, resulting in the death of a naval officer; In July 2022, the aircraft carrier caught fire again, but fortunately there were no casualties. If the India fighter maintenance plant is the "biggest threat" facing the India Air Force, then the India shipyard is the "biggest obstacle" to the India Navy's warships, and the serious lack of shipyard construction and maintenance capacity restricts the combat effectiveness of the India Navy. It is reported that the "Brahmaputra," which caught fire and overturned this time, was once the main missile frigate of the India Navy.
This battleship was commissioned in 2000, and the ship's weapons configuration is quite rich, and the firepower is strong enough, but the power is relatively poor, which greatly affects the combat capability. In October last year, the India Navy decided to upgrade the warship, the main upgrade point is to replace it with new engines. It's good now, the upgrade hasn't been completed yet, and after such a serious fire, I'm afraid the battleship won't be able to return. Through the frequent accidents of India's warships in recent years, it is enough to show that the India Navy still has a long way to go to build a global navy. Without a strong, stable, safe and reliable shipyard, the ambitions and ambitions of the India Navy cannot be supported at all. Funnily enough, however, the United States Navy has a lot of confidence in India's shipyards.
Last year, India hosted the G20 summit, during which United States President Joe Biden and India Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached an agreement that India shipyards would provide maintenance services for some warships of the United States Navy. We all know that the United States Navy wants to engage in a global strategy, and its warships will operate from all angles around the world, and if there is a problem, it will be time-consuming and costly to return to the United States for repair, and if it can be repaired nearby, it will be very convenient, and this is the "overseas maintenance plan" of the United States Navy. The United States Navy chose to cooperate with India shipyards, apparently wanting to send warships operating in Indo-Pacific waters to India shipyards for maintenance, so that they can be quickly redeployed again.
What the author wants to say is that the United States Navy is really bold, is it not afraid that the India shipyards will catch fire and destroy the warships costing billions of dollars? Of course, now United States's own shipyards are not much better, the maintenance capacity cannot keep up, and a submarine can not be repaired for several years. As a last resort, the United States Navy can only pin its hopes on India shipyards. The maintenance capabilities of Chinese shipyards are superb, but the warships of the United States Navy do not dare to come!