The Indian navys Russian remanufactured aircraft carrier the ex-Admiral Gorshkov (now the INS Vikramaditya) is slated

to join the navy next year. It is expected to have a main complement of about twenty frontline jet fighters. How will India use this latest piece of expensive military toy or ship. The aircraft carrier has been rebuilt at a cost of over two billion dollars not counting the jet aircraft. The total cost to turn it into a fighting force could exceed three billion. So, how to use it to justify the billions spent. It would be a big or grave mistake to use it in the same manner as the US Navy uses its aircraft carriers. US carriers are always employed to facilitate regime change, topple foreign governments, damage civilian infratructure and conduct point-blank political and military blackmail. Thus the Indian navy must make great efforts to avoid following in the footsteps of the worlds sole superpower. This is very important if India wants to make good or full use of the vessel for the next several decades and see it displayed in its full glory at a maritime museum when its useful days are over. There is no need at all to flaunt the capabilities of the vessel when it arrives in Indian waters because Pakistan has the CM-400AKG hypersonic missile in its operational armoury and this missile is nicknamed the carrier killer or wrecker. Thus the right thing to do is to use the carrier to help produce a true naval aviation force.