PM Modi to commission INS Vikrant, 1st India-made aircraft carrier: 10 points
India Today
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will commission the first indigenous aircraft carrier-- INS Vikrant-- the largest ship ever built in India's maritime history, here on Friday. Here's all you need to know.
The wait is over. The first ever India-made aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, is all set to be commissioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today at the Cochin Shipyard. INS Vikrant is the largest ship ever built in India's maritime history at a cost of Rs 20,000 crore.
The Prime Minister will commission the carrier, housing state-of-the-art automation features, at the Cochin Shipyard. During the event, Modi will also unveil the new Naval Ensign (Nishaan), doing away with the colonial past.Vikrant means victorious and gallant. The foundation for IAC was established in April 2005 by ceremonial Steel Cutting.
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INS Vikrant will contribute in ensuring peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and Indian Ocean region, Vice Chief of Indian Navy Vice Admiral S N Ghormade had said earlier. He said the aircraft landing trials on board INS Vikrant will begin in November and they will be completed by mid-2023, adding MiG-29K jets will operate from the warship for the first few years. The commissioning of Vikrant is being seen as a significant step towards India's self-reliance in the defence sector.
Using a novel aircraft operation mode known as Short Take Off But Arrested Recovery (STOBAR), the IAC is equipped with a ski-jump for launching aircraft. It has a set of three 'arrester wires' for their recovery onboard. Commissioning of 'Vikrant' would showcase the country's indigenisation capabilities, besides paying tributes to its freedom fighters and soldiers of the 1971 Indo-Pak war, a Defence statement had said.
