India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant successfully completes five-day maiden sea voyage
- India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC) Vikrant began its maiden sea trials on August 04, 2021 from Kochi. The five-day sea voyage successfully completed on August 08, 2021.
- The aircraft carrier Vikrant is expected to be commissioned into the Indian Navy in the second half of 2022. Once it enters service with the Indian Navy, the warship will be called as INS Vikrant.
- This is the first as well as largest and most complex aircraft carrier designed and built in India.
- Vikrant has been designed by the Indian Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design (DND), and is being built at Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL).
- Currently, India has only one aircraft carrier, namely INS Vikramaditya, made by Russia.
Key Features of Vikrant
- Displacement – 40,000 tons
- Length – 262 metres long,
- Width – 62 metres
- Height – 59 metres
- Decks – 14
- Speed – 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph)
- Range – 8,000 nautical miles (15,000 km; 9,200 mi)
- It has over 2,300 compartments, and can accommodate a crew of around 1700 people.
- The warship will operate MiG-29K fighter jets, Kamov-31 helicopters, MH-60R multi-role helicopters.