INS Vikrant is an indigenous aircraft carrier constructed by cochin shipyard limited for Indian navy. It was first aircraft carrier built in India. The ship’s completion means that India has now joined a select group of countries that have been able to design and build their own aircraft carriers. Only six countries has capability of making aircraft carrier
Introduction
In 1999, Defence minister made it's plan to have three aircraft carrier by 2025 to defend its water. Each one on Arabian sea and Bay of Bengal and keeping one carrier has reserve to maintain two carrier battle group all the time in the service. The base of the ship was laid in 2009. the carrier was floated for first time to its dry dock on 29th December 2011 and was launched on 12 August 2013. The basin trials were completed in 10th December 2020 and the ship started its sea trails in August 2021. Construction of the carrier took 13 years to complete at least six years longer than excepted due to repeated delays, including COVID-19 related issues and over budget due to increase in price of its source material over years and finial costing about 200 billion rupees.
The ship is 262.5 meter long with full load of displacement of nearly 45,000 tons means it displaces as much the Indian Navy’s other aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, which is about 20 meters longer than Vikrant. This displacement means Vikrant will only have an air wing of about 30 aircraft. The ship is equipped with a “ski jump” for launching aircraft and a set of “arresting wires” for their recovery on board, just like Vikramaditya, which has been in Indian Navy service since 2013.
Vikrant air group
In June 2012, the Indian Navy was considering the use of the Dassault Rafale M (Naval variant) on these carrier. On 6 January 2022, The Indian Navy started testing the Rafale-M for operations from INS Vikrant at the shore based test facility at INS Hansa in Goa. Some reports citing the same also indicated that the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet would be tested at the same locale in March 2022.The ship would be capable of operating an air wing consisting of 30 aircraft comprising MIG-29K fighter jets, Kamov-31, MH-60R multi-role helicopters, in addition to indigenously manufactured advanced light helicopters and light combat aircraft. Using a novel aircraft-operation mode known as STOBAR (Short Take-Off but Arrested Landing), the aircraft carrier is equipped with a ski-jump for launching aircraft, and a set of “arrester wires” for their recovery onboard.
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Blue water navy project
Vikrant is part of India’s push to both build an elite “blue water” navy one capable of operating globally across oceans and bolster its defence capabilities in the Indian Ocean amid concerns about the balance of power in the region, as Chinese naval vessels are making inroads into these strategically important waters. The Indian Government and the Navy have made untiring efforts to amplify the naval prowess in the past decade. India needs a modern Navy to protect its maritime interests and shoulder additional responsibilities, particularly in the current geo-political and security situation that prevails in the Indian Ocean region. Against this backdrop, the Vikrant set to become the Indian Navy’s new flagship could play an important role in helping deter Chinese advances in the region, especially during peacetime through power projection and “defence diplomacy” missions.
The aim of the expansion plan of Indian Navy is to govern two oceans, The Indian Ocean as well as the Pacific (Indo-Pacific construct) and thus, India has enhanced its eastward advancement strategy. The Indian Naval forces are playing a more pro-active role in the Indian Ocean now and has been expanding the scope of its engagement in the Indian Ocean.
However, New Delhi is not only relying on its aircraft carriers to maintain the regional balance of power. The Indian Navy’s modernization program has also seen it field a growing number of new license-built attack submarines, as well as advanced homemade guided-missile destroyers, frigates and corvettes.
India has also been acquiring assets specialized in anti-submarine warfare such as U.S.-made MH-60R helicopters and long-range P-8I Neptune maritime aircraft
Indian Navy’s role is not limited to securing our coastline, maritime terrorism, piracy, human and contraband trafficking, illegal and unregulated fishing, arms running and poaching pose myriad challenges to maritime safety and security in the region. Response to these challenges requires enhanced situational awareness of the maritime activities in the region so as to enable security agencies function effectively. The Indian Navy has been proactive in Human Assistance and Disaster Risk Management by deploying its ships for evacuation of Indian Diaspora and also assistance during natural disasters. The number of Port calls, visits and participation in Maritime Exercises with International partners has also increased tremendously. The Indian Navy has also approved mission based deployment whereby mission ready ships and aircrafts will be deployed year-round along critical Sea Lanes of Communication and Choke Points in the Indian Ocean to maintain vigil.
The Navy is striving to address the capability voids in areas such as aircraft carriers, tankers, landing platform docks, mine countermeasures vessels, submarines and integral helicopters. We are also enhancing our surveillance capabilities through induction of long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft, integral helicopters and high-altitude long-endurance aircraft or remotely piloted aircraft. The focus has been to augment capability through induction of modern platforms, weapons and sensors
