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Russian Warship Transfer To India Delayed After Failed Test


The Russian daily "Kommersant" reports that officials have postponed the transfer of the aircraft carrier "Vikramaditya" to India following a failed trial at sea.

The transfer is now scheduled for "not earlier than October 2013."

The aircraft-capable cruiser, which was formerly called the "Admiral Gorshkov," was removed from service in the Russian Navy in 1996, following a boiler-room explosion in 1994.

In 2004, India purchased the ship for $947 million, with the agreement that upgrades would be carried out at Russia's Severmash shipyard.

The ship recently completed its first three-month sea trial, during which seven of its eight steam boilers went offline.

"The cruiser simply came to a standstill," an unnamed Russian official was quoted as having told the daily.

Because of changes to the project specifications, the cost of the project is now estimated at $2.3 billion.

Based on reporting by "Kommersant" and "Izvestia"

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