Indigenous naval warship

Proudly displaying the military might and defence engineering capability of India in the high seas is the country’s maiden Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC-1) that on Wednesday sailed out for rigorous trials to validate its efficiency. It marks an important milestone for this vessel — which has been in the making for nearly 20 years — before it is commissioned in the Indian Navy as INS Vikrant next year. Behind this stellar accomplishment that has catapulted India to the stratospheric band of nations (the US, UK, France, China, Russia) equipped with the expertise to manufacture such a warship, it has been a relentless all-hands-on-deck effort. Credit goes to the designer and builder at the helm — the Indian Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design and the state-owned Cochin Shipyard Limited, respectively — for successfully navigating the delays and price escalations that threatened to rock the boat along the way. And, in a heartwarming affirmation of the acceptance of women officers on board for combat duties, the makers made sure to secure accommodation for them.

The aircraft carrier is tactically and operationally significant for an India whose endeavours to become a world power are increasingly undermined by China’s nefarious activities in the Indian Ocean region. Along with INS Vikramaditya (the aircraft carrier acquired from Russia already in service since 2013) this new warship will enable the country to extend mobile air power in both the eastern and western seas simultaneously, spanning the waters from the Gulf of Aden to the Malacca Straits, and help thwart any challenges to its supremacy. For, this 40,000-tonne complex vessel is a beastly machine. The IAC-1 is empowered to operate MiG-29K fighter aircraft, Kamov Ka-31 Airborne Early Warning Helicopters, MH-60R Multi-Role Helicopters and the domestically built Advanced Light Helicopters.

Experts have been urging the Central government for building another carrier so as to offset the times when a warship is undergoing a refit, given that China is armed with five carriers. While the response so far has been tepid, if and when the go-ahead comes, stress should be on cutting the design and construction time of IAC-2 to half.