HOLY CRAP! Possible gift of a CARRIER to India!

Now this is ballsy! That is the only word for it. We seem to be offering India the USS Kitty Hawk AS A FREAKIN' GIFT!

Sort of.

For those of you that are unfamiliar with the US Navy, the USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) is our oldest carrier in service and is on her last cruise. She was commissioned April 21, 1961, becoming the ship with the second longest active status in the Navy. (The USS Constitution sailing ship in Boston Harbor is 209 years old and is still retained on active Navy status.)
The carrier, at 1,069 feet long, displaces over 81,000 tons fully loaded. Her air wing consists of 85 combat and support aircraft.
Miss Kitty is scheduled to be decommissioned this year.
Apparently, that might change.......

India is seeking a carrier. Russia was supposed to provide them one free of charge, except for the cost of a rebuild, which Russia is to do. Russia is screwing it up, due to corruption and a general failure of industry: "As reported by Russian military analyst Aleksandr Golts, "the money [$1.5 billion] was allocated, but the work was never done."

Oops. And thus was an opportunity born.

From The Weekly Standard via Redstate: (emphasis mine)

Enter the United States. 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.

If true--and if New Delhi accepts--this can do more than just sink the Russian carrier deal and the MiG-29K contract. The Indian Air Force (IAF) are deep in the throes of a tender to purchase almost 200 new fighter aircraft, with Boeing and RSK-MiG both in the field of six contenders. An order of 200 fighter airplanes is unheard of--larger than any such export sale in more than 20 years. In an era where sales of 12, 20, or 40 fighters are more common, this is the PowerBall Lotto of export competitions.

If the Indian Navy decide to take on the F/A-18E/Fs, it makes logistical sense for the IAF to do the same and the competition for this massive sale would probably be over for all of the other competitors before it gets started. This would be a huge blow to the fortunes of RSK-MiG, who are bidding an advanced, developed MiG-29 model they have now re-labeled the MiG-35. It could make it hard for the famous Russian planemaker to stay in the military aircraft market.

Just last December Boeing placed $1 billion worth of outsourced production with India's HAL. To run for 10 years, this contract will have the Indians building portions of the F/A-18E/F, the Chinook CH-47 helicopter, and other Boeing platforms. This incentive--plus the carrier deal--could make the Boeing Super Hornet the proverbial offer that is too good to pass up.

It seems as if the proverbial "Yankee trader" might be back. While I have mixed feeling about the idea of a foreign country sailing one of our carriers, the USA has a long history of passing our older ships onto other countries in order to improve relations and alliances. And making India our ally in that part of the world is definitely a good thing......