(1st Update)

If the historical sale of the Gorshkov aircraft carrier was due to the internal boiler explosion and the lack of funds, then Yanayev's decision to sell the Gorshkov at this time was purely to free up part of the funds to continue to support the construction of the Navy's new generation aircraft carrier Ulyanovsk.

So Yanayev's first target was aimed at the Indians who purchased Soviet equipment on a large scale last time by the army, of course, it is not the glorious tradition of the Soviet people to like Pit Asan, but at present, the Indian Navy's Virat light aircraft carrier, that is, the former British Athletic, has been in service since 1959, and in 1986, India purchased this Centaur-class light aircraft carrier from the British.

I don't know if Ah San is stupid or stupid, to buy an aircraft carrier that has been in service for almost 30 years, and the Gorshkov was only officially commissioned in 1987, so no matter from which point of view, the Indian Navy has no right to refuse.

Not to mention that Yanayev was not ready to make money from the Indians on the price of the aircraft carrier itself, and with this reason, the head of the Soviet arms export company, Chemezov, visited Indian Defense Minister Kapoor as a lobbyist. This is good news for the Indian Navy.

The Gorshkov aircraft carrier, after forming combat effectiveness, together with the Vitra, can make you the hegemon of the Indian Ocean in one fell swoop, although in the Indian Ocean, only you and Australia have aircraft carriers, but how can the Melbourne aircraft carrier be comparable to our Gorshkov?

"You're saying you're going to sell us the newly commissioned Gorshkov? And at a lower price? Kapoor didn't expect such a good thing to fall on the head of the Indian Navy, knowing that they were still worried about which country's second-hand aircraft carrier they should buy after the Vitra reached its service life.

"Yes, I have been asked to visit India this time just to hear what you think." Chemezov replied in a rather helpless tone, "You also know that in recent years, our country has been underbuilt due to economic problems. So now the size of the Navy is being reduced. Even the aircraft carrier Gorshkov needs to be sold to you at a low price in the form of painful love, and this time it is definitely the most conscientious price. ”

Kapoor's eyes lit up when he heard the most conscientious price, but Indians always forget that every time someone tells them the most conscientious price, the price that is released is not very conscientious.

"I wonder at what price the Soviet side will sell aircraft carriers?" Kapoor asked eagerly, eager to ask the Capitol gang for money right now. Adoption of the procurement budget for this aircraft carrier.

"In short, it will not exceed one billion US dollars, one billion is the highest upper limit, and the specific price may still need to be negotiated and negotiated between us to decide." Chemezov gave an ambiguous answer, and he held out a finger to Kapoor, "Of course, the buyer of the aircraft carrier Gorshkov is not the only one, and the reason why we consider you first is because we believe in the strategic partnership between the USSR and India. ”

"India is a rising power, and a great power also needs a strong naval force to protect its ocean-going interests from any encroachment, so the Gorshkov will be your only choice. We also want to be able to contribute to the military strength of our allies......"

Chemezov's serious nonsense can't help but make the Indian defense minister a little embarrassed. It's like not nibbling on this pie that fell from the sky, it's sorry for the Indian Navy. So Chemezov agreed in advance, "We agree to the deal, but before the deal begins, we want to send a delegation to visit the Gorshkov aircraft carrier, and when everything is confirmed and ready, we will send someone to sign a trade treaty with you." ”

Seeing that the other party had already stepped into his trap with one foot, Chemezov raised his eyebrows slightly, quietly waiting for the other foot of his prey to step in. To be honest, at the beginning, Chemezov was also depressed, why the general secretary agreed to sell the Gorshkov for less than half the price of building the aircraft carrier. But then a series of trade treaty restrictions made him understand that they did not intend to cheat India on the price of the aircraft carrier itself.

The so-called price is nothing more than a bait. The next refit is the main thing, the more India is obsessed with the price of the Gorshkov, which is a hybrid between a cruiser and an aircraft carrier, and its main design idea is to carry short vertical take-off and landing fighters such as the Yak-38. As a result, the Gorshkov aircraft carrier has limited hangars and carrying fighters.

Yanayev took advantage of India's desire to greatly improve the performance of second-hand aircraft carriers at a low price, and finally came up with a drastic modification of the original design and the addition of a sliding deck. Increase the width of the entire flight deck and transform it into a scheme capable of taking off and landing a smaller version of the MiG-29 Kuznetsov. Historically, this reckless plan has been embraced by India.

Of course, as long as you can get money, Yanayev doesn't care what the Gorshkov aircraft carrier will be converted into. Because modern ships are sophisticated and complex systems, interlocking, any large-scale modification has the potential to cause an imbalance in the entire system. The chances of inducing unpredictable risks are greatly increased. Even if we develop improved models and new models, we must gradually advance from the top-level design on the basis of accumulated experience. And the forced and violent change of the Gorshkov will inevitably lead to a series of follow-up problems with the mixed ship between the aircraft carrier and the cruiser, and then there will be an opportunity for India to cry.

So, India is stupid, and history repeats itself.

"There are a series of conditions for the sale of the aircraft carrier Gorshkov, Minister Kapoor." Seeing that the time was almost ripe, Chemezov finally took out another plan hidden under the briefcase to fool the Indian Navy.

"That is, the aircraft carrier Gorshkov must be modernized in the Soviet Union before it can be delivered to the Indian military. We will add a skid deck and increase the width of the deck for you, after all, the Gorshkov is only a second-generation Soviet aircraft carrier, so we will convert it to a transitional model between the second and third generations to better serve the Indian Navy. ”

"Are you a kind of aircraft carrier that has been modified to resemble a Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier?" The eyes of the Indian Defense Minister lit up with the suggestion put forward by Chemezov, as if the Soviets standing in front of him at this time had become the savior of the Indian Navy. Imagine building an aircraft carrier fleet second only to the Soviet Union and the United States, which is the dream of many Indians. Although India claimed to be the third military power in the world before, it was slapped in the face by a country that killed the third country. But this is the navy, except for the countries in Europe and North America that dare to spend money so much, which other country dares to have the boldness of India to spend a lot of money?

Although India's boldness in the eyes of the Soviets is that people are stupid and have a lot of money, not to mention that the so-called unrealistic modernization and modification plan still has a major hidden danger, that is, even the Soviet Union does not know what the consequences of such unrealistic modifications will be. But whatever, as long as the sale of the Gorshkov aircraft carrier can return to its original cost, then the Soviet Navy does not recommend pit the Indians once.

"In short, a miniature version of the Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier. Because Kiev-level design ideas can no longer keep up with the pace of the times. So we won't sell you a backward aircraft carrier, it's immoral. Chemezov pretended to be concerned and said that the more he said that he would do everything possible to think about India, the more moved India would be, and then the greater the chance of being pitted.

"In that case, can you provide a solution, and then we can modify it ourselves?" Kapoor asked.

"Yes, as long as you can carry out such a difficult construction project as deck expansion, we don't care at all about providing the Gorshkov to you to do it yourself, but can India do such a complex surgical operation at the moment? What if you didn't get it right, but spent a lot of money towing back a wrecked ship. Chemezov asked unceremoniously.

Kapoor hesitated, but obediently accepted Chemezov's suggestion, and the two reached a deal agreement on a temporary basis after this conversation, and everything else had to wait until the Indian delegation saw the actual aircraft carrier. (To be continued.) )