September 2 will mark the historical milestone of realisation of Nation’s commitment towards ‘AatmaNirbharta’, a landmark date for the Indian Navy and the entire Nation; with Commissioning of first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) ‘Vikrant’.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be the Chief Guest on this momentous occasion. Vikrant is the largest warship to have ever been built in India. It is also the first indigenously designed and built Aircraft Carrier for the Indian Navy.
Designed by the Warship Design Bureau (WDB), Indian Navy’s in-house organisation and built by M/s Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), a Public Sector Shipyard under Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier is christened after her illustrious predecessor, India’s first Aircraft Carrier which played a vital role in the 1971 war.
Vikrant meaning victorious and gallant, the foundation for prestigious IAC was firmly established in Apr 2005 by ceremonial Steel Cutting. In order to push the indigenisation drive, the Warship grade steel required for construction of IAC was successfully indigenised through Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) in collaboration with Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL) and Indian Navy.
The hull fabrication was progressed thereafter and the ship’s keel was laid in Feb 2009. The first phase of ship construction was completed with successful launch of the ship in Aug 2013. The 262 m long and 62 m wide Vikrant displaces approx 43000 T when fully loaded, having a maximum designed speed of 28 Knots with endurance of 7500 NM.
The ship has around 2200 compartments, designed for a crew of around 1600 that include specialised cabins to accommodate women officers and sailors. The carrier is designed with a very high degree of automation for machinery operations, ship navigation and survivability. The carrier is equipped with the latest state of the art equipment and systems.
The ship would be capable of operating air wing consisting of 30 aircraft comprising of MiG-29K fighter jets, Kamov-31, MH-60R multi-role helicopters, in addition to indigenously manufactured Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) and Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) (Navy).
Using a novel aircraft-operation mode known as Short Take Off But Arrested Recovery (STOBAR), the IAC is equipped with a ski-jump for launching aircraft, and a set of three ‘arrester wires’ for their recovery onboard.
With the commissioning of ‘Vikrant’ on 02 Sep 22, India would join the select group of nations having the niche capability to indigenously design and build an Aircraft Carrier, which will be a real testimony to the Make in India thrust of Government of India.
