INS Vikrant: PM Modi commissions India's first indigenous aircraft carrier
INS Vikrant, India's first indigenous aircraft carrier, was formally commissioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday after it completed a year of sea trials. About 262 meters long and 62 meters wide, the 45,000-ton INS Vikrant has been built at the cost of Rs. 20,000 crore and is the biggest warship to be constructed in India. Here's all about INS Vikrant.
Why does this story matter?
INS Vikrant puts India in a select group of nations that can design and build aircraft carriers. It has been named after its predecessor, which played an essential role in the 1971 war against Pakistan. With INS Vikrant in its arsenal (in addition to Russia-made INS Vikramaditya), India can now deploy aircraft carriers at both eastern and western seaboards and expand its maritime position.
INS Vikrant: A city on the move
INS Vikrant can accommodate 30 aircraft on board, including helicopters and MiG-29K fighter jets, and can house a crew of 1,600 people. In the beginning, the warship will have MiGs and choppers, and the Indian Navy will run aviation trials on INS Vikrant soon. The warship is a result of decade-long efforts by various arms of the Indian administration.
Watch: PM Modi commissions INS Vikrant
'It's not just a warship': PM Modi
While commissioning INS Vikrant at the Cochin Shipyard, PM Modi said, "Vikrant is distinct, special...not just a warship, it is the evidence of the hard work, talent, impact, and commitment of India of the 21st century (sic)." PM Modi highlighted INS Vikrant's "swadeshi" elements and said the steel used is made in India, and the cables used can stretch from Kochi to Kashi (Varanasi).
PM Modi on INS Vikrant
'As big as two football fields'
According to the Navy, the warship is 18 floors tall and as long as two football fields combined. Its hangar is as big as two Olympic-size swimming pools and is equipped with 250 tankers of fuel, 2,400 compartments, and a 16-bed hospital. The warship will be the latest addition to the Navy's fleet of one aircraft carrier, 12 frigates, 20 corvettes, and 10 destroyers.
