News Highlight
India’s biggest ever indigenous military project – the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant – was commissioned on Friday at the Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) in Kochi, Kerala.
Key Takeaway
- During the inaugural speech of INS Vikrant, the prime minister said that the security concerns in the Indo-Pacific region and the Indian Ocean had long been ignored. Still, today, this area is a major defence priority for the country.
- Vikrant is a unique reflection of India’s becoming self-reliant.
INS Vikrant IAC-1
- INS Vikrant, also known as Indigenous Aircraft Carrier 1, is an aircraft carrier constructed by Cochin Shipyard Limited for the Indian Navy.
- It is the first aircraft carrier to be built in India.
- It is named ‘Vikrant’ as a tribute to India’s first aircraft carrier, Vikrant.
- Designed by: Indian Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design (DND)
- Built at Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), a public sector shipyard under the Ministry of Shipping.
- Speed: Propelled by four gas turbines, it can attain a top speed of 28 knots and a cruising speed of 18 knots with an endurance of about 7,500 nautical miles.
- The IAC-1, the biggest warship made indigenously, has an overall length of 263 m and a breadth of 63 m.
- It is capable of carrying 30 assorted aircraft, including combat jets and helicopters.
- The vessel will have a complement of 1,500 personnel.
Earlier aircraft in India
- India had aircraft carriers earlier, too—but those were built either by the British or the Russians.
- The ‘INS Vikramaditya’, commissioned in 2013 and currently the Navy’s only aircraft carrier, started as the Soviet-Russian warship ‘Admiral Gorshkov’.
- ‘INS Vikrant’ and the ‘INS Viraat’: India’s two earlier carriers, originally the British-built ‘HMS Hercules’ and ‘HMS Hermes’.
- These two warships were commissioned into the Navy in 1961 and 1987, respectively.
Significance of India’s having an aircraft carrier
- Powerful Marine Asset:
- An aircraft carrier is one of the nation’s most potent marine assets, enhancing the Navy’s ability to travel far from its home shores to carry out air dominance operations.
- Project Nation Strength
- Many experts consider having an aircraft carrier essential to being considered a “blue water navy”—one that can project a nation’s strength and power across the high seas.
- Capital Ship:
- An aircraft carrier generally leads as the capital ship of a carrier strike/battle group.
- Expand defence capabilities:
- The Indo-Pacific region and the Indian Ocean had long been ignored, but with the INS Vikrant, this area is now a significant defence priority for the country.
Content Source: The Hindu