The complete story of INS Vikrant, and why India already wants to build another aircraft carrier

Source: The post is based on the article “The complete story of INS Vikrant, and why India already wants to build another aircraft carrier” published in Indian Express on 2nd September 2022.

What is the News?

INS Vikrant, the country’s first indigenous aircraft carrier has been commissioned into the Indian Navy.

What is INS Vikrant?

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Other important features of INS Vikrant

Vikrant is the first aircraft carrier designed and built in India. It has over 76% of the material and equipment which is indigenous.

The ship has over 2400 compartments. It has a maximum designed speed of 28 knots with an endurance of 7,500 nautical miles which is equivalent to around 14,000 km. 

Around 16,000 crew members can fit into the carrier. It can accommodate around 30 aircraft on board. It also has specialized cabins to accommodate women officers and sailors.

It has a 16-bed hospital and an emergency medical care unit along with an Intensive Care Unit, a radiology wing and other medical facilities.

Using a novel aircraft-operation mode known as STOBAR (Short Take-Off but Arrested Landing), the carrier is equipped with a ski-jump for launching aircraft and a set of ‘arrester wires’ for their recovery onboard.

Significance of INS Vikrant

With the launch of INS Vikrant, India also joins the elite group of nations – the US, Russia, France, the UK and China – who are capable of designing and constructing aircraft carriers. 

Also, with a displacement of 43,000 tonnes when fully loaded, INS Vikrant is set to be the seventh largest among the carriers or carrier classes in the world.

Why does India want to build another aircraft carrier?

Over the last few years, top commanders have been insisting on a third carrier apart from Russian-origin Kiev-class INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant. The idea is for India to have two carriers at any given point in time if a third is in the refit.

Accordingly, the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier-II will be named INS Vishal with a proposed displacement of around 65,000 tonnes, equalling the Queen Elizabeth-class of carriers of the UK.