Editorial: Where Is India's Carrier Fleet Going?

By Robert Farley

India should think long and hard about the logistics necessary to operate a nuclear propulsion carrier.

India is pushing hard on its carrier fleet, but does it have a good sense of where it’s going?

Reports have emerged that India’s second indigenously built carrier, expected to be the third carrier to enter service in the next two decades, may utilize nuclear propulsion. This is alongside a set of other innovations that the Vishal might adopt, including EMALS catapult technology (possibly developed in association with the United States). India has taken strides on nuclear propulsion recently, with the launch of INS Arihant, its first domestically constructed nuclear submarine.

Why would India need a nuclear powered aircraft carrier? Nuclear power doesn’t eliminate the need for local basing (even the all-nuclear task forces the USN assembled in the 1970s and 1980s required support vessels for repair and munitions), although it does reduce a task force’s overall requirements. Countries that build nuclear aircraft carriers (a group that currently includes only the United States and France) typically have either worldwide military responsibilities or worldwide military ambitions.  By decreasing fueling requirements, nuclear power increases range and improves operational tempo. 

Read the full story at The Diplomat