The acquisition of aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov for the Navy appears to be on course barring Moscow’s insistence that India deploys Russian anti-missile system Kashtan-M on board the carrier instead of the Israeli Barak. According to sources, the Gorshkov contract was finalised on the lines of Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee’s summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin last month. Though Russia, sources said, was keen on adding another $ 50 million to the deal, the price negotiating committee had concluded its deliberations.Over the issue of installing Kashtan-M on the Gorshkov, sources said New Delhi agreed to test the system after the Gorshkov deal was signed. The Kashtan-M is priced around Rs 100 crore a piece and is at par with the Barak that the Navy currently uses on its frontline frigates and destroyers.The Russian Kashtan combines powerful artillery armament and multirole missiles and can simultaneously engage four cruise missiles. Stated as a challenger to Barak, the Kashtan-M is in serial production and is onboard a number of Russian naval ships.
