Profile
Settings
Refer your friends
Sign out
An aircraft carrier is one of any nation’s most potent maritime assets, improving the Navy’s capacity to carry out air dominance operations. The nation’s first aircraft carrier, Vikrant, will be put into service, contributing to the Indo-Pacific stability and peace. The aircraft carrier commissioning, which will be named “Vikrant,” would, in the words of the Navy, represent “a historic milestone in realising the Nation’s determination towards Atma Nirbharta”. The first indigenously designed and manufactured aircraft carrier for the Indian Navy, INS Vikrant is the largest warship ever constructed in India. India is now one of a select few countries with the capacity to develop and construct these massive, powerful warships.
Key Takeaways
- The nation’s first aircraft carrier, Vikrant, will be put into service in September 2022
- INS Vikrant is the largest warship ever constructed in India
- On September 2, Cochin Shipyard Ltd. will commission IAC-1, the first indigenous carrier, as INS Vikrant
About INS Vikrant
The indigenous aircraft carrier IAC-1, also known as the Vikrant, was constructed by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) for the Indian Navy. India has never before had an aircraft carrier. It is named “Vikrant” in honour of India’s first aircraft carrier. The name Vikrant means “courageous” in Sanskrit. The ship’s motto is, “I triumph over those who fight against me”. 26 MiG-29K fighter aircraft, four Kamov Ka-31 helicopters, two HAL Dhruv NUH utility helicopters, and four MH-60R multipurpose helicopters will operate from the 262 m long, 62 m wide, and 59 m high INS Vikrant aircraft carrier. It has 1700 crew members, a special hospital complex, 2,300 compartments, a 7,500 nautical mile endurance range, and female-specific accommodations.
The ship’s design started in 1999, and in February 2009 the keel was laid. The carrier was taken out of its dry dock in 2011 December 29 and the aircraft carrier was launched on August 12, 2013. After the basin testing was completed in December 2020, the ship started sea trials in August 2021. The aircraft’s flying testing should be completed by the middle of 2023. At the first sea testing, the project’s ultimate cost was around 23,000 crore ($2.9 billion).
Commissioning of INS Vikrant
On September 2, Cochin Shipyard Ltd. will commission IAC-1, the first indigenous carrier, as INS Vikrant. INS Vikrant would start performing aircraft landing trials in November and finish them by the middle of 2023. In addition to announcing that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would attend the ceremony of the INS Vikrant in Cochin, the Vice Chief noted that the aircraft carrier’s equipment was produced across 18 states and union territories. The warship took over to the Navy on July 28 by the Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL), a public sector shipyard run by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways. The Navy’s Warship Design Bureau created the warship. The ship had successfully completed the fourth and final sea testing stage three weeks previously.
What Tools and Weaponry Will the New "Vikrant" Possess?
The brand-new battleship is comparable to India’s current carrier, the 44,500-ton “INS Vikramaditya,” and can accommodate up to 34 aircraft, including fighter jets and helicopters. According to the Navy, the IAC-1 will be “the most powerful sea-based asset” once it is commissioned. The ship would be able to operate 30 aircraft, including indigenously constructed Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) and Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) made by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. of Bengaluru, MH-60R Seahawk multi-purpose helicopters, and Kamov-31 Air Early Warning Helicopters.
The IAC-1 is equipped with a ski-jump for launching aircraft and two “arrester lines” for recovering them once they have landed. The new aircraft operation mode uses both Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery. The MiG-29K and Kamov-31 aircraft are already used on the “Vikramaditya.” MH-60R Seahawks are made by American aerospace and the defence company Lockheed Martin. The new battleship’s capacity to spread air force across great distances will make it an unrivaled military tool. The aircraft carrier includes defensive counter-air, airborne anti-submarine warfare, air interdiction, anti-surface warfare, offensive, and airborne early warning.
The biggest warship ever built in India, Vikrant is the first indigenously designed and built aircraft carrier for the Indian Navy. India is now one of a select few countries with the capacity to develop and construct these massive, powerful warships. With the construction of “Vikrant,” India has joined a select club of nations, including the US, the UK, and Japan. We have the specialized expertise to design and build an aircraft carrier domestically.
