INS Vikrant is set to operate MiG-29K fighter jets, Kamov-31 helicopters and MH-60R multi-role helicopters.
INS Vikrant is set to operate MiG-29K fighter jets, Kamov-31 helicopters and MH-60R multi-role helicopters.
India received its first indigenously built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant from the its manufacturer, Cochin Shipyard. The commissioning of the ship is likely to take place on August 15 during India's Independence Day.
The Indian Navy said the warship was delivered after extensive user acceptance trials calling it a "momentous day in the Indian maritime history and indigenous shipbuilding". The largest warship ever to be built in India has a deep displacement of 45,000 tonnes with a steel structure of 21,500 tonnes.
The aircraft carrier, built at a cost of nearly $2.9 billion had successfully completed the fourth and final phase of sea trials three weeks back. India has now joined a select group of nations who have the capability to indigenously design and build an aircraft carrier.
INS Vikrant is set to operate MiG-29K fighter jets, Kamov-31 helicopters and MH-60R multi-role helicopters. It has over 2,300 compartments designed for a crew of around 1,700 people, including specialised cabins to accommodate women officers.
India's latest warship has a top speed of around 28 knots and a cruising speed of 18 knots with an endurance of about 7,500 nautical miles. The IAC is 262 metres long, 62 metres wide and it has a height of 59 metres. The construction of the warship began in 2009 and it was reportedly delivered ahead of time.
The Navy said the aircraft carrier would soon be commissioned into the force and it would bolster India's position in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and its quest for a blue water Navy.
"Vikrant has been built with a high degree of automation for machinery operation, ship navigation and survivability and has been designed to accommodate an assortment of fixed wing and rotary aircraft," the Navy said. It has been a big boost to India's quest towards 'Aatma Nirbhar Bharat' (self-reliant India) with the warship ready to set sail soon.
The warship would serve to bolster India's position in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and its quest for a blue water Navy.
The warship has been christened after her illustrious predecessor India's first aircraft carrier which played a vital role in the 1971 war. The 262-metre-long carrier is much larger and more advanced than its predecessor and is powered by four gas turbines totalling 88 MW power.
The project progressed in three phases of contract between the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and CSL, which concluded in May 2007, December 2014 and October 2019.
INS Vikrant can operate with 30 aircraft and is equipped with the Short Take-Off but Arrested Landing system comprising a ski-jump for launching aircraft and a set of 'arrester wires' for their recovery onboard when they land.
Another outcome of the project was the development and production of indigenous warship-grade steel for the ship through a partnership between Navy, DRDO and Steel Authority of India (SAIL) which has enabled the country to become self-sufficient with respect to warship steel.
In fact, the Cochin shipyard is currently constructing 8 anti-submarine warfare shallow water crafts (ASWSWCs) and it has also won an order for the construction of six next-generation missile Vessels (NGMV) for the Indian Navy.
The warship had begun sea trials last year in August. It is expected to conduct flight trials next year with STOBAR configuration with a ski-jump. It is a milestone for the Indian Navy which expects to keep China at bay in the contentious Pacific waters.
Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh had said INS Vikrant would be fully operational before the end of 2022. It is a big boost for the Indian Navy with INS Visakhapatnam already part of its arsenal.
India's new warship is fitted with a modern surveillance radar which provides target data to the gunnery weapon systems of the ship.
The anti-submarine warfare capabilities are provided by the indigenously developed rocket launchers, torpedo launchers and ASW helicopters.
The ship is also equipped to fight under nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) warfare conditions.
INS Visakhapatnam's is the high level of indigenisation incorporated in the production.
Some of the major indigenised equipment system onboard INS Visakhapatnam include combat management system, rocket launcher, torpedo tube launcher, integrated platform management system, automated power management system, foldable hangar doors, Helo traversing system, close-in weapon system and the bow mounted Sonar.
Enhanced crew comfort is a significant feature of INS Visakhapatnam which has been ensured through ergonomically designed accommodation based on "modular" concepts.
The ship will be under the command of Captain Birendra Singh Bains, a navigation and direction specialist.
With the changing power dynamics in the Indian Ocean Region, INS Visakhapatnam will augment the Indian Navy’s mobility, reach and flexibility towards accomplishment of its tasks and goals.
Admiral Karambir Singh, chief of the Naval staff said the ship is a shining example of self-reliance.
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