I think India should not look at price of aircraft carrier. It should look for a "better" aircraft carrier. If Gorshkov is more expensive yet better aircraft carrier then $1.6 billion dollars is 40 Rs extra per person for India. Not much! if its a top aircraft carrier.
Another factor is reliablity. Russians are proven reliable suppliers of military hardware to India. Americans use these sales to gain control of foreign policy and then later on force countries to do stuff their way. Just look at pakistan. Also we dont want a country to cut off supplies once they sell aircraft carrier.
It has been proven that aircraft carriers are aggressive security systems. They are protected by airplanes, radars, battleships and even submarines. Submarine based navy is defensive where as aircraft carriers are offeinsive. US won the WWII because of aircraft carriers could be taken near to Japanese shores to launch strikes. You can take aircraft carrier anywhere in the ocean and lauch your fighter jets there. USA itself maintains atleast 8 on each coast. total around 16. Kitty Hawk is too old and India can get a better deal elsewhere.
