New Delhi: To become a credible blue water force, Indian Navy has to acquire three aircraft carriers and field a flotilla of 200 warships, according to Naval Chief Admiral Madhvendra Singh.

"We have finalised plans towards such acquisition," he said as the bi-annual top Naval Commanders Conference began on October 28 to finalise operational and logistic plans.

Without giving any time frame for reaching such an induction, Singh told his top commanders that a move had been made towards fielding such a force.

Indian Navy at present has a strength of 140 warships and each year two to three more warships roll out from Naval dockyards.

Without referring to Russian carrier Admiral Gorshkov, the Naval chief indicated that the decks had been cleared for its acquisition, by saying that government had accorded top priority to the project.

India and Russia have almost finalised price negotiations as well as technical parameters for the carrier acquisition and the deal is likely to be concluded during Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's visit to Moscow in November.

Singh also indicated to the commanders that the deal to acquire six French-built Scorpene submarines were also on the verge of clearance and that Naval aviation would get a boost with induction of IL-38 replacements from Russia.

The three-day conference meant as an annual stocking exercise would ponder on operational, logistics, maintenance, as well as acquisition plans of the Navy. It would also take up Naval manpower planning, a Naval spokesman said.

PTI