HomeIndia NewsIndia’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier INS Vikrant: All you need to know

India’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier INS Vikrant: All you need to know

INS Vikrant has been commissioned into the Indian Navy.

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By CNBCTV18.com September 2, 2022, 11:21:32 AM IST (Updated)

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India’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier INS Vikrant: All you need to know
India’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) INS Vikrant was commissioned into the Indian Navy on Friday after it successfully completed the fourth phase of sea trials. The trials were performed ahead of its scheduled commissioning into the Indian Navy on August 15.


"Vikrant is large and grand, Vikrant is distinct, Vikrant is special. Vikrant is not just a warship, it is the evidence of the hardwork, talent, impact and commitment of India of the 21st century," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said while commissioning the warship in Kochi, Kerala.

The trials of most of the equipment and systems onboard were undertaken in the latest phase of sea trials, according to the Indian Navy.

“Indigenous Aircraft Carrier #Vikrant successfully completed the 4th phase of Sea Trials. Integrated trials of major equipment & systems, including key aviation equipment undertaken with further enhancement in performance, towards delivery of the largest indigenous warship in #AzadiKaAmritMahotsav,” Indian Navy tweeted.




The IAC Vikrant has been designed by the Indian Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design (DND). It has been built at the state-owned Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) and is the most complex project the shipyard undertaken till now. The warship has a displacement of 37,500 tonnes and Vikrant has put India in a select league of only six nations- the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, France and China, who have the capability to build aircraft carriers.

Vikrant has an indigenous content of 76 percent and the project costs about Rs 23,000 crore. The IAC Vikrant is set to be delivered to the Indian Navy by end of this month and it will be commissioned on August 15 to coincide with 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav'.

The IAC Vikrant is 262 metres long, with a beam of 62 metres and a height of 59 metres. It has 14 decks, 2,300 compartments and it can accommodate a crew of 1,700, including specialised cabins for women officers.

The warship will operate MiG-29K fighter jets, Kamov-31 helicopters and MH-60R multi-role helicopters. It can carry up to 24 MIG 29K fighter jets and 26 helicopters of different mix as per a CRUX report.

The IAC Vikrant has a top speed of around 28 knots and a cruising speed of 18 knots and an endurance of about 7,500 nautical miles.

It has been in the works for over 35 years. The go ahead to build Vikrant came in 2003 and the construction of the aircraft carrier began in 2009.

The ship has two takeoff axes, one is 144m long and the other is 200m long. It has one ski-jump. This allows two fighter jets to take off simultaneously from the deck.

IAC Vikrant produces 24MW of electricity every day to operate, which is enough to power half of Kochi. The ship is propelled by gas turbine engines built by the American giant, General Electric.

The IAC Vikrant will be the fourth aircraft carrier operated by the Indian Navy. The first Vikrant of British origin operated from 1961 to 1997, the second INS Viraat (British origin) was in operation from 1987 to 2016. The third is the INS Vikramaditya (Russian origin), which is in operation since 2013.

Also Read: India's first indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant begins another phase of sea trials
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