Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be commissioning the indigenously built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant on Friday at Kochi. Built at the Cochin Shipyard, it was designed by the Indian Navy's in-house Warship Design Bureau. Prime Minister will also unveil the new Naval Ensign (Nishaan) during the event.
According to a release, Vikrant has been built with state-of-the-art automation features and is the largest ship ever built in the maritime history of India. The indigenous aircraft carrier is named after her illustrious predecessor, India’s first aircraft carrier which had played a vital role in the 1971 war.
It has a large number of indigenous equipment and machinery, involving major industrial houses in the country as well as over 100 MSMEs. With the commissioning of Vikrant, India will have two operational aircraft carriers, which will bolster the maritime security of the nation, the release said.
After successful sea trials, the Cochin Shipyard handed over her to the Indian Navy on July 28. Built at Rs 20,000 crore, it is 262 metres long and 62 metres wide, and displaces 45,000 tonnes. Inside the ship, it has 15 decks, a multi-speciality hospital, a pool, a kitchen and exclusive cabins for women. And, of course, the ship has technology for carrying, arming and recovering fighter aircraft.
Vikrant has 2,300 compartments, and 2,400km of cables have gone into its making. It has eight gigantic power generators and can generate four lakh litres of water every day. 76 per cent of its constituents are indigenous. Vikrant is powered by four gas turbines totalling 88 megawatt power.
Unlike US Navy carriers, Vikrant’s flight deck will be STOBAR (Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery) configuration with a ski-jump, which will give aircraft extra lift during take-off. The arrestor wires on the flight deck catch the tail hook and bring the plane to a stop. If the pilot misses all three wires, he has to make another attempt at landing.