Admiral Gorshkov

On January 20, 2004, India finally signed the deal to acquire the 44,900-ton Russian aircraft carrier, the Admiral Gorshkov. It was the replacement for the INS Vikrant. The Vikrant, India’s first aircraft carrier, had been commissioned in 1961. Indian efforts to acquire its first carrier began. The Gorshkov was named after Admiral Sergei Gorshkov, the father of the Soviet Union’s blue-water navy. Until he took over, the Soviet Navy had emphasised submarine construction and ballistic missile deterrence.