INS Aditya
INS Aditya is an replenishment and repair ship in service with the Indian Navy. The ship was launched on 15 November 1993 and commissioned on 3 April 2000.
Aditya is a fully air-conditioned and lengthened version of the original, but with a multipurpose workshop and with four replenishment at sea stations alongside. The ship was built at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers. Building progress was very slow and the ship was plagued by propulsion problems, during her sea trials in September 1999.
Description
The ship has a cargo capacity of water, ammunition and stores and diesel and aviation kerosene. The ship can carry 12,000 tons of liquid cargo, comprising LSHSD, aviation kerosene, distilled and fresh water and 5,000 tons of solid cargo. The ship features a Hallapa deck and Canadian Hepburn RAS equipment. Aditya is also equipped with a 2-ton heavy jackstay and a 20-ton crane. It can replenish four warships and one rotor aircraft simultaneously and was designed to be able to serve as command and control platform. It can refuel at the maximum rate of 600 tonnes per hour.Aditya was initially armed with light and medium machine guns. The self-defence capability was added by installing new close-in weapons like anti-aircraft and anti-missile guns and missiles. Even though it is smaller than, it has more advanced capabilities. It carries a helicopter as compared to only a helicopter deck of Jyoti.
Service history
In 2010, Aditya, along with three other warships of the navy -, and, were deployed to South Africa and took part in the 2nd IBSAMAR, the joint military exercise of the navies of India, Brazil, and South Africa. A total of 11 warships took part in the exercise, which was conducted off the coast of Durban from 13 to 27 September.In mid-July 2024, Aditya and conducted an exercise with United States Navy's Carrier Strike Group 9 centred on along with Carrier Air Wing 11 and in the Indian Ocean.