India's first INDIGENOUS aircraft carrier INS Vikrant to be commissioned by PM Modi today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will commission India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, at Cochin Shipyard Limited in Kochi on Friday at 9:30 a.m. The INS Vikrant was designed with cutting-edge automated technologies and is the biggest ship ever built in India’s nautical history. As per media sources, it was developed by the Indian Navy’s […]

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will commission India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, at Cochin Shipyard Limited in Kochi on Friday at 9:30 a.m. The INS Vikrant was designed with cutting-edge automated technologies and is the biggest ship ever built in India’s nautical history. As per media sources, it was developed by the Indian Navy’s in-house Warship Design Bureau (WDB) and built by Cochin Shipyard Limited, a Public Sector Shipyard under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways.

Notably, the Prime Minister will also unveil the new Naval Ensign (Nishaan), which will abandon the colonial past and honour India’s rich maritime tradition.

The Indigenous Aircraft Carrier is named after India’s first aircraft carrier, which played an important role in the 1971 war. It has a substantial quantity of indigenous equipment and machinery, with participation from big industrial enterprises as well as over 100 MSMEs. With the commissioning of Vikrant, India will have two operational aircraft carriers, which would strengthen the country’s maritime security. According to the Indian Navy, the 262-meter-long carrier, which is substantially larger and more modern than her predecessor, has a full displacement of close to 45,000 tonnes.

Vice Admiral Hampiholi was quoted as this about the IAC Vikrant specifications: “Vikrant transports approximately 30 aircraft. It could use the MiG 29k fighter plane for anti-air, anti-surface, and ground strike missions. It will be able to operate the Kamov 31 early warning helicopter, the recently inducted but yet-to-be-commissioned MH-60R multi-role helicopter, and our very own ALH. It is the biggest warship in the Indian military arsenal, displacing around 45,000 tonnes.”

The Modi government’s ‘Make in India’ strategy receives a boost

The development and manufacturing of indigenous warship-grade steel for the ship through a collaboration between the Navy, DRDO, and the Steel Authority of India (SAIL) has enabled the country to become self-sufficient in warship steel.

According to the Navy, all warships produced in the nation today are made of indigenous steel. The Directorate of Naval Design employed several design cycles, including the use of 3D Virtual Reality models and modern technical tools, to shape the design of the carrier. CSL has also updated its shipbuilding infrastructure and increased production skills throughout the ship’s construction.

The keel of the ship was laid in February 2009, and it was launched in August 2013. With a total indigenous content of 76%, IAC exemplifies the nation’s ambition for “Aatma Nirbhar Bharat” and gives a boost to the government’s “Make in India” effort. Indigenisation activities have also resulted in the growth of auxiliary businesses, in addition to the creation of job possibilities and a positive knock-on impact on the economy, both locally and nationally.

India joins a select group of countries

With Vikrant, India has joined a small group of countries that have the unique capacity of designing and building an aircraft carrier in-house. IAC Vikrant has 14 decks with 2,300 compartments that can contain over 1,500 sea warriors. To meet the ship’s food requirements, around 10,000 chapatis or rotis are produced in the ship’s galley.

The ship has a top speed of 28 knots and is powered by four gas turbines totaling 88 MW. The project, which cost close to Rs 20,000 crores in total, was completed in three phases of the contract between the MoD and CSL, which were completed in May 2007, December 2014, and October 2019.

The ship would be equipped to operate an air wing of 30 aircraft, including MIG-29K fighter fighters, Kamov-31 multi-role helicopters, and indigenously produced Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) and Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) (Navy).

The IAC is outfitted with a ski-jump for launching aircraft and a series of ‘arrester wires’ for onboard recovery using a revolutionary aircraft-operation mode known as STOBAR (Short Take-Off but Arrested Landing). The ship has a substantial amount of indigenous equipment and machinery, with participation from big industrial companies like BEL, BHEL, GRSE, Keltron, Kirloskar, Larsen & Toubro, Wartsila India, and others, as well as over 100 MSMEs.

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