INS Vikramaditya ("Brave as the Sun") is a modified Kiev class aircraft carrier which entered in service with the Indian Navy in 2013. The ship has been renamed in honour of Vikramaditya, a legendary 1st century BC emperor of Ujjain, India, famed for his wisdom, valour and magnanimity. Originally built as Baku and commissioned in 1987, the carrier served with the Soviet (until the Dissolution of t
he Soviet Union) and Russian Navies before being decommissioned in 1996 as she was too expensive to operate on a post-Cold War budget. The carrier was purchased by India on 20 January 2004 after years of negotiations at a final price of $2.35 billion.The ship successfully completed her sea trials in July 2013 and aviation trials in September 2013. On 16th November Aircraft Carrier INS Vikramaditya was handed over to the Indian Navy at the Sevmash Shipyard in Russia. The Russian flag on the vessel was lowered and the flag of the Indian Navy was raised in its place. In a traditional Indian ritual, a coconut was also broken during the ceremony. The commissioning papers were signed by deputy director of Russia's arms exporter Rosoboronexport, Igor Sevastyanov and the ship's captain Commodore Suraj Berry. The carrier was escorted to India on a near two-month voyage by a group of Indian Navy warships to secure a safe sail to its base at Karwar.
