With Vikramaditya, for the first time in over two decades, the Indian navy has two operational aircraft including the aging INS Viraat, which is likely to be decommissioned in the next few years.
The ship has been renamed in honour of Vikramaditya, a legendary 1st century BC emperor of Ujjain, famed for his wisdom, valour and magnanimity.
Originally built as Baku and commissioned in 1987, the carrier served with the Soviet and Russian Navies before being decommissioned in 1996 as she was too expensive to operate on a post-Cold War budget.
A cash-strapped Russia first offered the partly-burnt Gorshkov to India as a gift in 1994, provided the costs for refit and fighters were paid.
