Wot a view for your #WarshipWednesday -- onetime antagonists made friends by fate. That is CVN 68 back there and we know it well but up forward here is a verrrrry interesting ship: India's INS Vikramaditya, once the Soviet Navy's own "aircraft cruiser" Baku. Pic by MC3 Schaudt

Back in the bad old days the Soviet navy fielded the Kiev class of "aircraft cruisers," of which this was fourth -- and note how different the philosophy was back then. Note the heavy weapons on the foc'sle v today's clean deck. This pic per VADM Wiki

The Indians want more of a pure-play carrier than this ships earlier iteration. So they have a through flight deck with a ski jump for blastoff and arrester wires for recovery. Star of the air wing: the infamous, dreaded MiG-29

Delta btw the configurations of this ship has a lot to do with the Soviet vision of seapower back in the bad old days. It didn't need to be a carbon copy of the U.S. Navy. Mostly what it had to do was threaten the West w SSBNs; deny Western navies' use of SSBNs + defend Europe

... what the Indians want is what carriers buy today, especially for rising and aspirational powers: Multiple applications including a little sea control here, a little air dominance, a little power projection there -- and the prestige associated with U.S.-style carriers

Another lewk for your #WarshipWednesday. This is a cropped in view of a frame by MCSN Lang on DDG 104. Feast your eyes on that bow angle! And much less evil-looking than back in the old days, ref earlier pic