Indian Navy operates twin-carrier battle groups

• Indian Navy showcases INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya operating together in the Arabian Sea for the first time
• Navy emphasizes the importance of carrier battle groups and naval aviation in maintaining air superiority
• Dwindling fighter jet numbers pose a challenge for the Navy, considering the maintenance issues with the MiG-29K fleet and plans to procure Western-made fighter jets as replacements.

The Indian Navy on Saturday shared footage of its two aircraft carriers, INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya, in the Arabian Sea. This is the first time the navies have operated together. The indigenously built Vikrant was commissioned in September last year. Vikramaditya, a former Soviet 'Gorshkov', was inaugurated in 2013.

.A Navy statement said, "The successful demonstration of battle group operations on two aircraft carriers serves as a powerful demonstration of the critical role of Naval Aviation in maintaining naval air superiority."

The Indian Navy's current strategy focuses on carrier battle groups, carrier-based warships carrying fighters, helicopter early warning (AEW) and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopters. The new Vikrant and Vikramaditya operate the Russian-made MiG-29K in the current fleet. Vikrant first operated a fighter jet in February this year. The Navy says the aircraft will be fully operational by the end of the year.

India joins the club of only four other countries operating more than one aircraft carrier. The US has 20 aircraft carriers (11 jet and nine helicopter carriers), while the UK and China have two each).

Interestingly, this is only the second time in nearly three decades that the Indian Navy has sailed with two aircraft carriers carrying the same type of fighter aircraft. In the mid-1990s, the old INS Vikrant and INS Viraat operated together briefly, both with Sea Harrier fighters.

"Dual carrier operations are a good exercise and allow pilots to train using each other's decks, but in real combat, the Navy would never deploy two aircraft carriers in close proximity," says Vice Admiral Jagjit Singh Bedi (retd), who commanded the Viraat. in the mid-1990s when it was paired with the old INS Vikrant. "This is because the idea is to cover a wider stretch of ocean for protection and interception, just as the British deployed their two aircraft carriers during the 1982 war to retake the Falkland Islands from Argentina."

The bigger problem facing the Navy is one of dwindling fighter jets. The Navy purchased 45 MiG-29Ks from Russia between 2004 and 2017, one squadron for each carrier. Four planes have crashed since then. Maintenance issues plaguing the MiG-29K fleet mean that less than half the number of jets are available at any one time. The smaller number of aircraft in turn impairs the ability of the carrier battle group to launch offensive and defensive sorties far out at sea.

The Indian Navy has shortlisted two Western-made fighter jets, the Boeing Super Hornet and the French Rafale, as bidders for the supply of 26 jets. These Western-built fighters will be a replacement until the Navy can field its own designed and developed twin-engine fighter aircraft (TEDBF). Even if the contract is signed this year, it will take at least six years before all 26 aircraft can be delivered.