INDIA TEST FIRES NEW MISSILE FROM ITS AIRCRAFT CARRIER: China’s drive to build a credible aircraft carrier force gets a lot of attention — and it should. India is trying to get its only carrier to work.

India’s navy announced Friday it successfully fired its first surface-to-air missile from its aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya.

The test firing, conducted in the Arabian Sea on Wednesday, was part of the Operational Readiness Inspection program and marks a major milestone in the country’s defense capabilities. The missile was fired at a live low-flying, high-speed target, officials said.

“The target was successfully engaged and destroyed,” the navy said. “The missile marks a significant milestone in providing air interception and defence capabilities, thus enhancing operational capabilities of the navy’s aircraft carrier and the fleet.”

INS Vikramaditya is the country’s sole aircraft carrier and was retrofitted with a Barak missile system. The Kiev-class vessel was built in 1987 and served the Soviet navy and was originally named Baku. It was later renamed Admiral Gorshkov under the Russian navy. The Indian navy purchased the vessel in 2004.

The UPI report is correct. The INS Viraat (an aircraft carrier) was decommissioned on March 6. The INS Vikramaditya has had a lot of problems.