According to numerous sources inside India, when U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates visits New Delhi late in February (provided his Tuesday Potomac Primary Day broken shoulder does not alter his itinerary) he will be carrying a signed letter from U.S. President George W. Bush offering a better deal for India than the one they have been struggling to get out of Moscow for four years now. The Indian Navy will reportedly be offered the soon-to-be decommissioned USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) aircraft carrier for free--provided the Indian Navy will agree to purchase 65 of the newest model Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets to be operated off of it.
Whoever thought of this had a moment of brilliance. This would be quite the sign of alliance. We've never given any of our super carriers to anyone else. And this news comes right after I ridiculed the idea that India should be trying so hard to get that old Soviet hybrid floating tenament Gorshkov:
India's ongoing problems with Russia over the refurbishing of their future aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya (ex-Gorshkov) go far beyond the timeline and cost. Just who thought it would be a good idea to buy this old Soviet mutant ship? ...
India would do better to just copy an American 1944-era Essex class carrier than rely on Russian "expertise" in carrier design. I suppose the good news for India is that China has looked to the Russians, too. And isn't anywhere near to being a naval threat in the Indian Ocean.
India has a chance at something much better than an Essex! India would be foolish to turn down our offer. India will have the navy with the second-best aircraft carrier in the world.
I wonder if we have other old conventional carriers in our reserve fleet? We used to have a lot of Forrestals and there's the old JFK.
