New Delhi: India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC) Vikrant embarked on another set of tests on Sunday to conduct complex maneuvers at sea. tell that this The warship has been built at a cost of around Rs 23,000 crore and its construction has put India in a select list of countries that have the capability to build a state-of-the-art aircraft carrier.
IAC Vikrant is 262 meters long, 62 meters wide and has a height of 59 meters. Its construction started in 2009. The warship is built by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL).
The 40,000-tonne aircraft carrier, the largest and most complex warship to be built in India, had earlier successfully completed a five-day maiden voyage in August and conducted a 10-day sea trial in October.
It is worth noting that President Ram Nath Kovind and Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu had recently visited this ship in Kochi.
Speaking on the occasion, Navy Spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said, “The IAC has now proceeded to conduct complex maneuvers to find out how the ship performs under various conditions.” The various sensor suites of the ship will also be tested during this test.
“After two consecutive high profile visits by the President and Vice President of India in less than two weeks, IAC Vikrant is heading out for the next set of sea trials,” Commander Madhawal said.
“Both the dignitaries expressed their satisfaction after reviewing the progress and conveyed their best wishes to all the stakeholders involved in the project,” he added.
Significantly, the ship’s first sea trials were to establish propulsion, navigational suite and basic operations, the second sea trials saw the ship through its motion in terms of various machinery tests and flight tests.
“The ship was actually out for 10 days and was proving its existence in the second test itself. Various sailing developments were also successfully cleared during the second voyage,” a Navy official said.
Several scientists from the Naval Science and Technology Laboratory, a DRDO facility in Visakhapatnam, are overseeing the Phase III sea trials of Vikrant.
The warship will operate MiG-29K fighter jets, Kamov-31 helicopters, MH-60R multi-role helicopters. It has over 2,300 coaches, designed for a crew of about 1700 people, including special cabins to accommodate women officers.
Officials said Vikrant has a cruising speed of 18 knots with a top speed of about 28 knots and an endurance of about 7,500 knots.
India currently has only one aircraft carrier – INS Vikramaditya, with the Indian Navy focusing on significantly enhancing its overall capabilities in view of China’s growing efforts to increase its military presence in the Indian Ocean region.
The Indian Ocean, which is considered to be the backyard of the Indian Navy, is vital to the country’s strategic interests. Commander Madhawal said, “The ship has been able to conduct basic voyage operations from its maiden voyage, a milestone in Indian warship building history.”
“Despite the rising cases of COVID-19 in the country and the resulting challenges, the joint teams of several organizations associated with the project are excited and committed to meet the timeliness,” he said.
first published:Jan. 9, 2022, 7:11 p.m.
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