Indian Navy to commission nation's first indigenous carrier INS Vikrant on Sept 2

New Delhi: Marking the beginning of a new era in India's Naval capabilities, the country's first indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC) Vikrant will be commissioned into the Navy as INS Vikrant, on Friday, September 2nd. The most expensive piece of military hardware in India's arsenal, the Vikrant will be formally inducted into the Indian Navy, at an event at the Cochin Shipyard Limited, the state-run shipyard in the Southern state of Kerala, where the vessel was built. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and senior officials from the Armed Forces are expected to be present at the event. 

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The commissioning of the Vikrant marks a significant milestone for India, as the country will henceforth be able to defend its 7500-km-long coastline with two operational aircraft carriers - INS Vikramaditya(of Russian origin) and the Indigenously designed and built Vikrant. However, the Vikrant would require more than a year following its commissioning to be fully operational. Thus far, the ship's crucial systems and sub-systems have been tested during multiple phases of sea trials. However, for the ship to be fully combat-ready, there are several other components such as radars, weapons etc. to be integrated, tested and proven. 

Similarly, while various helicopters operated by the Navy have landed and taken off from the deck of the Vikrant, the carrier-based fighter aircraft of the Indian Navy, the Russian-origin Mig 29K are yet to land on the deck. The installation and testing of restraining blocks and arrestor wires that facilitate the take-off and landing of the aircraft are also to be carried out in the coming months. 

Why IAC Vikrant is a floating fortress?

The Indian Navy has operated aircraft carriers for more than five decades, but, those were all of foreign origin. Vikrant brings to the end a long wait for India's first indigenous aircraft carrier. With nearly 76% indigenous components and parts, the Vikrant is a towering symbol of India's shipbuilding capabilities, and progress in developing defence hardware. 

Built at a cost of Rs.20,000cr, the warship has a displacement of over 40,000tons(which is approximately 8 times the weight of an average warship). The floating airfield is 262 meters long and 62 meters at its widest, the ship's flight deck is as vast as two football fields. The body of the ship or its hull has enough steel to erect more than three Eiffel towers, that’s about 21,000 tons of steel, specially developed by India’s Defence Research Development Organization.

Beneath the flight deck, there are 2300 compartments of varying sizes. This 18-storey tall carrier is meant to be home to 1,700 crew, and nearly 30 aircraft. This floating city is powered by four LM-2500 Gas turbines that produce 90MW of Power for propulsion. All that propulsion power helps the carrier attain a top speed of 28knots and a cruising speed of 18knots. It carries enough fuel to cover the entire 7500-km-long Indian coast twice, without having to think about refueling.

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The IAC is an airbase at sea, it is meant to carry two dozen deck-based fighter planes and a handful of helicopters. The IAC never sails alone, the aircraft carrier is the leader of a carrier strike group, which is a tightly-knit flotilla that complements the strengths and capabilities of one another. As a leader of the carrier battle group, the IAC commands and controls all aerial assets, including those of its accompanying warships. Carrier strike groups can undertake a wide range of tasks and are game changers in modern-day air-sea battle and power projection.