With its construction, India has joined a select group of nations that have the niche capability of designing and building aircraft carriers...
Digital Desk: India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, Vikrant will be commissioned today (September 2) by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Cochin Shipyard.
The commissioning of the carrier, the largest ship ever designed and developed in Indian maritime history, will give wings to the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' (self-reliant India) concept.
The carrier was named after India's first aircraft carrier, the Vikrant, which played an important role in the 1971 war with Pakistan. The word "Vikrant" signifies "victory" and "bravery."
With its construction, India has joined a select group of nations that have the niche capability of designing and building aircraft carriers in-house, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, China, and France.
The aircraft carrier, once commissioned, will help to ensure peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and Indian Ocean regions, according to Vice Chief of the Indian Navy, Vice Admiral SN Ghormade.
As the IAC Vikrant prepares for commissioning, here are ten facts about India's first indigenously built aircraft carrier:
1. The carrier was created by the Warship Design Bureau (WDB), an internal organization of the Indian Navy, and was constructed by Cochin Shipyard Limited, a public-sector company.
2. In April 2005, the ceremonial steel cutting laid the groundwork for IAC. The keel of the ship was set in February 2009. The first phase of its construction was finished with its successful launch in August 2013.
3. The battleship was constructed using equipment and machinery that were supplied by more than 100 MSMEs and major industrial companies in India. The Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), along with the Indian Navy and the Defense Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), indigenously produced the steel needed for the construction of IAC.
4. The aircraft carrier is 62 m wide and 262 m long. When fully laden, it can move about 43,000 tonnes, reach a maximum designed speed of 28 knots, and travel 7,500 nautical miles.
5. The ship contains over 2,200 compartments, including specialized quarters for female officers and sailors, and it is built for a crew of about 1,600 people.
6. It also contains a full-fledged medical facility with advanced technologies, including an isolation ward, laboratories, and a physiotherapy clinic.
7. The Vikrant is equipped with a cutting-edge aircraft operation mode known as Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery (STOBAR) configuration, which permits short takeoff by planes employing ski jump and recovery with the aid of arrester wires.
8. The ship will be able to fly a 30-fighter (currently MiG 29K) air wing as well as a combination of Kamov 31 AEW helicopters, MH 60 R Multi-Role helicopters, and Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopters (Marine version).
9. According to Ghormade, the aircraft landing trials on board Vikrant will begin in November and be finished by mid-2023. He added that MiG-29K jets would operate from the warship for the first few years, he added.
10. With the commissioning of Vikrant, India will have two operational aircraft carriers, which would strengthen the country's maritime security.
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