undefined | The Financial Express
India-made first aircraft carrier launched
FE Online Desk | Published: September 02, 2022 17:37:11
India's first aircraft carrier launched
After a long wait, India's first self-made aircraft carrier 'INS Vikrant' started its journey.
Company Service Providers in Malta EUvisit ncmbmalta.com/ to learn more www.ncmbmalta.com>
On Friday morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kochi in the southern state of Kerala inaugurated the warship and officially handed it over to the Navy.
Earlier, India has faced the enemy with warships bought from abroad. But this new 'INS Vikrant' is completely made by Indian technicians.
The warship added to the strength of the Indian Navy by entering service. Only a handful of countries in the world have the capability to build such warships. News from bdnews24.com.
After the United Kingdom and China, India became the first third country to develop an aircraft carrier using indigenous technology. 'INS Vikrant', built at a cost of Rs 20,000 crore, has already floated in the water. The ceremony was held on Friday.
According to CNN, Prime Minister Modi also unveiled the new flag of the Navy along with the inauguration of INS Vikrant in a grand ceremony at the Cochin Shipyard in Kerala.
He said on the occasion, “This aircraft carrier has filled the nation with new confidence. The goals may be difficult, the challenges may be great, but when India sets its sights on what to do, no goal is impossible to achieve.”
“Until now only developed countries have developed such careers. By joining this ranks today, India has taken another step towards becoming a developed country," Modi said.
He also said that the Indo-Pacific region will be a security priority for India.
John Bradford, Senior Fellow at the S. Rajaratham School of International Studies in Singapore, said in a comment, "INS Vikrant is a reflection of India's commitment to a long-term vision of a world-class navy."
He said, “Even in the age of missiles, the survival of any warship has been questioned. But the US, China and the UK are doubling their investment in warships, meaning that India has joined the race.”
INS Vikrant has joined the fleet of ISS Vikramaditya, a refurbished Soviet-era warship bought from Russia.
This warship has a capacity of 30 fighter jets and helicopters. Which includes the facility to take off and take off MiG-29K fighter jets and helicopters.
The length of INS Vikrant is 262 meters. This stream is 62 meters wide and 59 meters high. The runway on top of the ship is more than 90 meters long. It has accommodation for over 1,700 soldiers and officers.
This warship has 14 decks in all. And there are 2300 rooms. The warship will be powered by four gas turbine engines. Its top speed is about 28 nautical miles (52 km) per hour.
Vikrant does not need to fill fuel again and again. This warship can travel seven and a half thousand nautical miles once it is filled with fuel.
Former Indian military officer Ajay Shukla said, “The country is sending a message of becoming strong through INS Vikrant. India is demonstrating its air power by dominating the far reaches of the Indian Ocean.”
Carl Schuster, a former US Navy captain and professor at Hawaii Pacific University, said, "India can play a dominant role as well as a co-ordinator in potential security solutions to regional concerns."
“India does not need to join the multilateral response but can establish a separate independent presence if the country so desires. "
The former US Navy captain believes that India can play a major role in the quadrilateral security dialogue through the new warship, which will also play a major role in the military exercises of the 'Quade', an informal alliance between the US, Japan, Australia and India.
Production Phase of 'INS Vikrant':
The word Vikrant means 'courage'. But making Vikrant was not easy for India. India signed its design-build contract in 2003. The main structure was built in 2009. And the construction work started in August 2013.
INS Vikrant was supposed to be inducted into the Indian Navy in 2017. But the second phase of the battleship was delayed due to various reasons. The covid epidemic is one of them.
Experts say that India will be able to increase its capacity in shipbuilding using indigenous technology from experience.
"The nation now has the capability to build the next warship with faster and more advanced designs," said former US Navy Captain Schuster Schuster. "
India reborn 'INS Vikrant'. They brought back the old warships that sunk the Pakistan warships in the 1971 war and made them with their own technology.
India bought that mighty warship from UK. In the fifties, India bought the aircraft carrier Hercules built for the British Navy and renamed it INS Vikrant.
The warship was inducted into the Indian Navy in 1961, a symbol of national pride. It played a prominent role in many important military campaigns.
Vikrant was retired in 1997 after nearly 4 decades of service. The ship was wrecked. But after seeing the design of that, 'INS Vikrant' was made domestically.
In early August 2021, sea trials of Vikrant began. Several tests were successfully completed
