State-of-the-art aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya will likely be ready to be handed over to India by December, Russian ambassador Alexander Kadakin announced on Friday.

Mr. Kadakin said that the long-delayed aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya (the erstwhile Admiral Gorshkov) is already undergoing trials. He was in Goa to inaugurate the Russian consul office.

Speaking on the topic, he said, "Things are going well (with the carrier). It will undergo exercise in the Northern Sea. There will also be more sophisticated exercises with Vikramaditya."

When asked about the long delay in the delivery of the aircraft carrier, he said that hurry wasn't advisable in matters where proper outfitting and precision was paramount. He claimed that the sophisticated, lethal and razor-sharp technology of the Russian aircraft carrier would boost India's seaborne capabilities

Mr. Kadakin also grumbled that the delay in delivering the INS Vikramaditya to India was being written about expansively as compared with the lengthy delay in the delivery of French submarine Scorpene.

The INS Vikramaditya aircraft carrier was purchased by India in the year 2004 but its handover was delayed again and again for various reasons.