India to Add $5 Billion Aircraft Carrier to Fleet to Counter China
- Second locally-made carrier can hold 28 fighter jets, choppers
- Indian Ocean getting heavily militarized in the past few years
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India is set to add another aircraft carrier to its fleet worth almost 400 billion rupees ($4.8 billion) as it seeks to counter China’s naval presence in the Indian Ocean region, according to people familiar with the matter.
The Defense Acquisition Council — the country’s top defense decision making body headed by defense minister, Rajnath Singh — is expected to clear the acquisition of its second indigenous carrier on Friday, people with direct knowledge of the development said, asking not to be named because the discussions are private.