Cochin Shipyard Limited has delivered the Indian Navy’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, concluding the long-term contract awarded to the firm in 2007.
The vessel was accepted for service after trials between August 2021 and July 2022. It will be commissioned as the Indian Naval Ship (INS) Vikrant.
Scheduled to be fully operational by 2023, the ship’s addition to the fleet is expected to bolster the country’s position in the Indian Ocean Region.
The vessel’s arrival coincided with the county’s 75th Year of Independence Day (Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav). It was celebrated as a “reincarnation” of the decommissioned Majestic-class HMS Hercules, the first Indian aircraft carrier, which played a vital role in the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War.
INS Vikrant: Specifications
INS Vikrant is 262 meters (869 feet) long and has a displacement of nearly 45,000 tons. It runs on four gas turbines that produce 88 megawatts of power for a maximum speed of 28 knots (32 miles/51 kilometers per hour).
The carrier’s structure resembles the Indian Navy flagship and former Soviet carrier INS Vikramaditya, which was brought from Russia in 2004 and commissioned by the navy in 2013.
The ship utilizes Short Take-off/Arrested Landing, allowing an air wing capability of 30 aircraft, including Kamov-31 early warning helicopters, American MH-60R multi-role helicopters, Russian MIG-29K fighter jets, advanced light helicopters, and light combat aircraft.
