NEW DELHI (PTI): Defence Minister AK Antony will induct the long-delayed aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, designed to boost India's maritime capabilities, at a shipyard in Russia on Saturday.
Antony will leave for Russia on Friday with a high-level delegation, including Defence Secretary RK Mathur, on a four-day visit during which, apart from commissioning the aircraft carrier, he will also co-chair the India-Russia Inter -Governmental Commission on Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-MTC) with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Shoigu.
Contracted for in 2004, during the NDA regime, the vessel has been delayed by over five years and has seen several time and cost overruns in the last nine years.
"The commissioning ceremony will take place at Sevmash Shipyard, Severodvinsk, on Saturday and the IRIGC-MTC meeting will take place in Moscow on Monday," a Defence Ministry release said.
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