Indian Navy Will Boost Kamov Fleet With New Carrier

The Indian Navy is set to receive four additional Kamov Ka-28 anti-submarine warfare and five Ka-31 radar picket helicopters when its new Vikramaditya aircraft carrier is delivered, hopefully by the end of 2013. The new rotorcraft will supplement nine Ka-31s delivered between 1999 and 2004 and 16 Ka-28s that entered service in the late 1980s. The Indian Navy has been a good customer to the Russian helicopter manufacturer and has five Ka-25PLs that it inherited from the former Soviet navy in the 1980s. If India opts to order more Talwar-class frigates from Russia, this could lead to further contracts for Russian-made naval helicopters.