The commissioning of India’s first indigenously designed and manufactured aircraft carrier marks a defining moment in the history of the Indian Navy. INS Vikrant, the namesake and a successor to the nation’s beloved first aircraft carrier, will catapult India to a select club of the world’s great Naval powers.
The commissioning of India’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC-1) into the Navy as INS Vikrant marks a defining moment. The first ever aircraft carrier to be indigenously designed and constructed, INS Vikrant will strengthen the country’s standing as a ‘Blue Water Navy’ — a maritime force with global reach and capability to operate over deep seas.
With it, India also joins the elite group of nations – the US, Russia, France, the UK and China – who are capable of designing and constructing aircraft carriers. Also, with a displacement of 43,000 tonnes when fully loaded, INS Vikrant is set to be the seventh largest among the carriers or carrier classes in the world.
🔎 Points:
⬛ The ship will be capable of operating 30 fighter aircraft (presently MiG 29K) and a mix of Kamov 31 AEW helicopters, MH 60 R Multi Role helicopters and Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopters, as per PTI report.
⬛ Space and accommodation capacity: INS Vikrant has over 2,300 compartments, designed for a crew of around 1700 people, including specialised cabins to accommodate women officers.
⬛ With the commissioning of INS Vikrant, India has joined the league of six nations in the world that have the niche capacity to indigenously design and build an aircraft carrier.
⬛ INS Vikrant weighs 45,000 tonnes and is the outcome of active collaboration between the Naval Ship Design Bureau and Cochin Shipyard Limited.
⬛ The massive ship is 262.5 meters long and 62 meters wide. There are 14 decks, which can accommodate 1700 Naoveers.
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