Prime Minister Narendra Modi will give the INS Vikrant, India’s first homegrown aircraft carrier, its official name on Friday at the Cochin Shipyard Limited. The INS Vikrant is the largest ship ever built in India’s maritime history and has state-of-the-art automation features.
During the event, the Prime Minister will also show off the new Naval Ensign (Nishaan), which will replace the colonial flag and honour India’s rich maritime history.
A Defense spokesman said that when Vikrant is put into service, it will be a big step toward India being able to take care of its own defence needs.
He said, “It is a shining example of Atma Nirbharta in the defence field.”
A Defense statement said, “With the commissioning of ‘Vikrant,’ India would join a small group of countries that have the unique ability to design and build an aircraft carrier on their own. This will be a real testament to the Make in India push of the Government of India.”
The warship was made with equipment and machinery made in India and supplied by the country’s largest companies and more than 100 MSMEs.
It has a lot of equipment and machinery made in the country, including things like big factories and more than 100 MSMEs.
With the launch of Vikrant, India will have two aircraft carriers that can be used. This will improve the country’s maritime security.
The aircraft carrier was designed by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau (WDB) and built by the Cochin Shipyard Limited, a Public Sector Shipyard under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways. It was named after India’s first aircraft carrier, which played a key role in the 1971 war.
IAC was founded in April 2005 with a ceremony called “Steel Cutting.” The name “Vikrant” means “victorious and brave.”
The warship-grade steel needed to build the IAC was successfully made in India by Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL), and the Indian Navy. This was done to help the indigenization drive. After that, the hull was made, and in February 2009, the ship’s keel was laid.
The first part of building the ship was done when it was launched successfully in August 2013.
When fully loaded, the 262 m long and 62 m wide Vikrant has a displacement of about 43,000 T, a top speed of 28 knots, and a range of 7500 NM.
The ship has about 2,200 rooms, which are set up for a crew of about 1,600 people. There are also special rooms for women officers and sailors.
The carrier was made with a high level of automation in mind for how machinery works, how the ship moves, and how well people can stay alive. It also has the most up-to-date equipment and systems.
The ship has a full-fledged, state-of-the-art medical complex with the latest medical equipment, such as major modular OT, emergency modular OT, physiotherapy clinic, ICU, laboratories, CT scanner, X-Ray machines, dental complex, isolation ward, telemedicine facilities, etc.
The ship would be able to control an air wing of 30 planes, including MiG-29K fighter jets, Kamov-31, and MH-60R multi-role helicopters, as well as Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) and Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) that were made in India (Navy).
The IAC has a ski-jump for launching aircraft and a set of three “arrester wires” for bringing them back to the ship. This is part of a new way to operate aircraft called “Short Take Off But Arrested Recovery” (STOBAR).
Commissioning of ‘Vikrant’ would be a proud and historic moment for the country, showcasing our ‘Atma Nirbhar’ credentials during ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, a true testament to the country’s zeal and fervour in pursuing capability building towards enhanced maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region, and shall show Indian Navy’s unwavering commitment to contribute to peace and stability in the region, said a Defense statement
The induction and reincarnation of “Vikrant” is therefore not only another step toward improving our defence, but also a small way to honour the sacrifices made by our freedom fighters for the nation’s independence and our brave soldiers during the 1971 war, the statement said.
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