INS Vikrant's first anniversary celebrated by the Indian Navy

The Indian Navy on Saturday celebrated the first anniversary of its latest and most advanced aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. The aircraft carrier Vikrant is the second aircraft carrier in the fleet of the Indian Navy, the first being INS Vikramaditya. The aircraft carrier was inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi at Cochin Shipyard Limited on September 2, 2022.

INS Vikrant has given a major boost to the strength of the Indian Navy. The Indian Navy has deployed these two carriers on the Western and the Eastern Seaboard against its adversaries. 

India’s first Indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant

INS Vikrant is the first indigenous aircraft carrier made in India. It gives a boost to India’s Atma Nirbhar Bharat vision of the Union Government. The name is derived from the 1971 aircraft carrier with the same name INS Vikant. The 1971 version played a crucial role in defeating Pakistan at sea during the Bangladesh Liberation War.

The commissioning of INS Vikrant has increased India’s strength in the Indian Ocean Region. With its induction, India has come into the band of nations that can design aircraft carriers on their own and indigenously make aircraft carriers and its weapon systems for the armed forces.

The Indian Navy has specified the length and breadth of the aircraft carrier as 262 metres and 62 metres respectively. It has a displacement of 45,000 tonnes and can travel 7,500 nautical miles at its designed speed of 28 knots. The ship is imbibed with art automation features and is the largest ship that has been constructed in India.

Another name for this aircraft carrier is a floating metropolis. This is because it contains 2,300 compartments, 18 storeys, and 14 decks. It has a capacity of 1,500 sea warriors and a kitchen that can make 10,000 rotis. Cochin Shipyard Limited designed it.

The ship is so huge that it can house two Olympic pools and two football fields. INS Vikrant carries around 30 aircraft like Mig-29k fighters, MH-60R multirole helicopters, and Kamov 31 advanced helicopters. The carrier might also house India’s fighter Rafale Marine aircraft.

The ship consists of 16 hospital beds, 250 tankers of fuel and 2400 compartments and can carry 1600 women officers and sailors on the ship. It has an endurance of 7500 nautical miles. The aircraft carrier is designed with a very high degree of automation for machinery operations, ship navigation and survivability and the carrier is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and systems.

NS Vikrant comes equipped with a ski jump for launching aircraft from its deck and a set of arrester wires for their recovery onboard, similar to any conventional aircraft carriers with Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery (STOBAR), capability. With 76% indigenous content, the construction of INS Vikrant has resulted in direct employment generation for approx 12,500 employees for over 550 OEMs, subcontractors, ancillary industries and over 100 MSMEs as well, thereby bolstering plough back effect on the Indian economy.