First Indigenous Aircraft Carrier-IAC Vikrant 2022: A Force Multiplier for the Indian Navy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi commissioned India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier IAC Vikrant on September 2 at Cochin Shipyard Limited in Kerala. The Russian-made ‘Black Panthers,’ a naval version of the MiG-29 fighter, would be the primary fighters of INS Vikrant, the largest ship ever built in India. The aircraft has been in service with the Indian Air Force for decades.

Vikrant got the prefix INS (Indian Naval Ship) at a formal commissioning ceremony, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is a moment that was 13 years in the making. Mr. Modi called the carrier “a floating city” and the “symbol of indigenous potential”. 

“With INS Vikrant, India has joined the list of countries which manufacture huge aircraft carriers with indigenous technology. It has filled the country with new confidence,” he said at the commissioning ceremony.

Inside IAC Vikrant

• Once it’s in service, it will eventually be the workplace – and home – for 1,700 crew members.
• The gas turbine engines can be operated and the four engines on board together build up 88MW of power – enough to supply a city.
• There are three galleys, or pantries, which have coffee-vending machines, tables and chairs, and places to keep large utensils. On combining these galleys, close to 600 personnel can have their meals at the same time.
• The ship also has a 16-bed hospital, two operating theaters and intensive care units.
• In the hangar, two Russian-origin aircraft – a MiG-29K fighter and a Kamov-31 early warning helicopter – are placed towards the rear end.

Why an Indigenous Aircraft is Significant to India?

Over 76 percent of the material and equipment on board the carrier is indigenous, including 21,500 tonnes of special grade steel developed indigenously and used in Indian naval ships for the first time.

The Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has said that the shipping yard “carried out the detailed engineering of the ship using advanced software which enabled the designer to get a complete 3D view of the compartments of the ship”. This is the “first time in the country that a ship of the size of an aircraft carrier is completely modeled in 3D and production drawings extracted from the 3D model”, reports News18.com.

The Made-in-India warship is a feather in the country’s cap, as only five or six nations have the capacity of building an aircraft carrier.

All about MiG-29K ‘Black Panthers’

• The MiG-29K is an all-weather fighter capable of exceeding twice the speed of sound — or Mach 2. It can pull up to eight times the force of gravity and reach altitudes of over 65,000 feet. It can engage targets in the air, sea, and land.
• The MiG-29K can fly long distances to complete crucial missions because of its air-to-air refueling capability.
• The MiG-29K squadron has been named INAS 303, also known as the “Black Panthers.” The squadron is based at INS Hansa in Goa.
• The MiG-29K has enough power to perform air dominance and power projection tasks.\
• The MiG-29K (Korabelny) belongs to the 4.5 generation of aircraft. It differs significantly from the IAF MiG-29B variants optimized for air-to-air missions.
• Russia shipped a total of 45 MiG-29K/KUB fighters to India in two batches. The second lot of 29 aircraft was delivered in 2016, while the first lot of 16 aircraft was delivered in 2011.
• In 2020, the Indian Defense ministry approved the procurement of 21 MiG-29s along with the upgradation of 59 MiG-29s at the cost of ₹7418 crores (roughly $1B).

IAC Vikrant Price

The INS Vikrant, designed by the Indian Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design and built by public sector shipyard CSL, has been developed at a cost outlay of Rs 20,000 crore.

IAC Vikrant 2022 Vision

The motto of the ship is “Jayema Saṁ Yudhi Spr̥dhaḥ” (I defeat those who fight against me). From IAC Vikrant, up to 26 MiG-29K fighter jets, 4 Kamov Ka-31 helicopters, 2 HAL Dhruv NUH utility helicopters, and 4 MH-60R multi-role helicopters can fly. It is 262 metres long and has a top speed of 28 knots.

IAC Vikrant Specifications

• Specifications of Vikrant:
• Length: 262.5 m
• Width: 61.6 m
• Height (Keel to pole mast): 61.6 m
• Displacement: appx 42.800 tonnes
• Speed (Max/Cruise): 28/18 knots
• Flight Deck area: 12.500 SqM
• Propulsion: GTs – 22MWx4, DAs – 3MWx8
• Range: 7500 Nautical Miles
• Weapons: SAM – 32xMRSAM, AK630 CIWS
• Air Wing: Mix of 30 Aircraft & Helicopters
• Runway: Landing – 191m, Long Take-off – 203m, Short Take-off – 145m
• Helo landing spots: 6
• 3 x Arresting Gear Wires
• 2 x SAC lifts (10×14 m)

The ship boasts of a fully-fledged Medical Complex with the latest medical equipment facilities that include major modular OT, emergency modular OT, physiotherapy clinic, ICU, laboratories, CT scanner, X-Ray machines, Dental complex, Isolation ward, telemedicine facilities, etc.

IAC Vikrant Historical Significance:

• The forerunner to INS Vikrant, which was instrumental in the independence of Bangladesh from Pakistan in 1971, has the name.
• With the construction of INS Vikrant, India has joined a narrow group of countries that can design and construct their own aircraft carriers, including the US, UK, Russia, China, and France.
• The new vessel is seen by the Indian Navy as a crucial upgrade to its equipment. India can now increase its maritime presence by deploying an aircraft carrier along both its eastern and western coasts.
• One aircraft carrier, ten destroyers, twelve frigates, and twenty corvettes make up India’s current navy.

The Commissioning of India’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC-1) into the Navy as INS Vikrant marks a defining moment. The first ever aircraft carrier to be indigenously designed and constructed, INS Vikrant will strengthen the country’s standing as a ‘Blue Water Navy’ — a maritime force with global reach and capability to operate over deep seas.