Kochi: India launched its first indigenously-built aircraft carrier on Monday, a landmark moment in the $5 billion or 500 crores project that seeks to project the country’s power and check the rising influence of China.
The INS Vikrant comes into full service in 2018, and makes India the fifth nation to have designed and built its own aircraft carrier, pushing ahead of China to join an elite club that includes Britain, France, Russia and the United States.
However, I would ask the question is the aircraft carrier the answer? At the beginning of the Second World War battleships were considered the capitol ships of the warring nations. Nevertheless, the majority were sunk without making a great impact on the outcome of the war. The aircraft carrier had become the capitol ship, especially in the Pacific. One might note, the Bismarck was sunk by planes from the carrier Ark Royal. Yet the biggest threat to England was the German U Boats. That makes me wonder about the value of a carrier in today’s navies, one torpedo! scatch one carrier. Seems to me the nuclear submarine is today’s capitol ship. Huge Battleships and Carriers are just big targets for those submarines. Having said, can anyone explain why Canada continues to waste money on four old used diesel electric boats that to date have proven to be un-seaworthy????. A bit like the Canadian Senate, of course they are just unworthy, at sea or on land.
And that’s my Monday Morning Rant.
God Bless and keep reading.
irishroversbooks.wordpress.com 