A improved variant with U.S. inputs of the Arihant's DRDO/BARC developed nuclear power plant may be be used for INS VISHAAL aircraft carrier
As per media reports, India's biggest ever warship, the INS Vishal, is likely to be propelled by nuclear energy. The second of India's home-made aircraft carriers will be a whopper at 65,000 tonnes with enough room to accommodate 50 aircraft.
The INS Vikramaditya, an old Kiev-class Russian carrier weighs approximately 45,000 tonnes, joined the Navy in 2013 and carries 34 aircraft on board. While the type of fighter jets which will be based on the new carrier is yet to be decided, however, senior officials indicated that the MiG-29K may be the likely choice.
The cost of INS Vishal will depend on the kind of propulsion; nuclear propulsion will cost more than conventional means - diesel or gas. A nuclear aircraft carrier costs upto three times more than a conventional carrier.
After years of neglect, India's navy is in the midst of accelerated modernisation under
Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The government has fast-tracked processes to ensure the domestically-built INS Vikrant will be ready for service in 2018. The INS Vishal could be built with US technology.
The US Navy's next-generation electromagnetic catapult for aircraft carriers works! The Military hasn't exactly used it to launch an actual fighter jet yet, but a recent test has proven that it can handle 80,000 pounds of steel
India is eyeing the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) developed in the US, which means jets can launch off a flat deck at a faster rate and with less fatigue to aircraft. India's existing carrier force uses ski-jump ramps to help planes take off and uses wires to slow them down when landing. For that reason, planes have to be lighter and fewer in number which the upper limit is 34 currently.
With an EMALS system on a flat deck, the INS Vishal could field 50 heavier fighter jets with longer range as well as airborne early warning system aircraft.
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