INS Vikrant: India’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier

Hyderabad: Recently, the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) 1, which will be called INS Vikrant once it enters service with the Indian Navy, began another set of sea trials. INS Vikrant is the largest and most complex warship to be built in India… About Aircraft Carrier: An aircraft carrier is “a large ship that carries military […]

Hyderabad: Recently, the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) 1, which will be called INS Vikrant once it enters service with the Indian Navy, began another set of sea trials. INS Vikrant is the largest and most complex warship to be built in India…

About Aircraft Carrier:

An aircraft carrier is “a large ship that carries military aircraft and has a long, flat surface where they take off and land.”

These floating air bases are equipped with a full-length flight deck capable of carrying, arming, deploying and recovering aircraft.

They act as command and control of a naval fleet in times of war and peace. A carrier battle group consists of an aircraft carrier and its escorts, together making the group.

During World War II, the Imperial Japanese Navy was the first to assemble a large number of carriers into a single task force known as Kido Butai. This task force was used during the Pearl Harbour Attack.

Aircraft Carrier in India:

INS Vikrant (decommissioned): Beginning with INS Vikrant which served India from 1961 to 1997. India acquired the Vikrant from the United Kingdom in 1961, and the carrier played a stellar role in the 1971 war with Pakistan that led to the birth of Bangladesh.

In 2014, INS Vikrant, was broken down in Mumbai. INS Viraat (decommissioned): INS Vikrant was followed by the Centaur-class carrier HMS (Her Majesty’s Ship) Hermes, which was rechristened in India as INS Viraat and served in the Indian Navy from 1987 to 2016.

INS Vikramaditya:

It is the Indian Navy’s largest aircraft carrier and warship converted from the Russian Navy’s decommissioned Admiral Gorshkov/Baku.

INS Vikramaditya is a modified Kiev-class aircraft carrier that was commissioned into service in November 2013.

INS Vikrant:

In order to commemorate the legacy of INS Vikrant (decommissioned), the First IAC will be named as INS Vikrant. It is built at Cochin Shipyard Limited.

It is currently undergoing sea trials and is likely to be commissioned in 2023. Its construction propelled India into a select group of countries having capabilities to build state-of-the-art aircraft carriers.

It will have an air component of 30 aircraft, comprising MiG-29K fighter jets, Kamov-31 airborne early warning helicopters and the soon-to-be-inducted MH-60R multi-role helicopter, besides the indigenous Advanced Light Helicopters.

It is expected to have a top speed of 30 knots (approximately 55 kmph) and is propelled by four gas turbines. Its endurance is 7,500 nautical miles at 18 knots (32 kmph) speed.
The shipborne weapons include Barak LR SAM and AK-630, while it has MFSTAR and RAN-40L 3D radars as sensors. The vessel has a Shakti EW (Electronic Warfare) Suite.

Significance of Aircraft Carriers:

Currently, most of the world powers are operating or building technologically advanced aircraft carriers to safeguard their maritime rights and interests.

Aircraft Carrier for India, provides a deterrent naval capability, that is not only essential but a strategic need. This is because India’s area of responsibility ranges from the east coast of Africa to the Western Pacific.

Future Endeavours:

Since 2015, the Navy has been seeking approval to build a third aircraft carrier for the country, which, if approved, will become India’s second Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC-2).
This proposed carrier, to be named INS Vishal, is intended to be a giant 65,000-tonne vessel, much bigger than IAC-1 and the INS Vikramaditya.