Made-in-India Vikrant joins naval fleet

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 2

India today launched its maiden indigenously designed and built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi commissioning the warship that put India into a select league of countries with domestic capability to develop such large vessels.

• Largest warship ever built in country commissioned
• Can track targets 400 km away, carry 30 aircraft
• 1,700 crew strength; can sail sans refuelling for 45 days
• Flight deck 1,34,000 sq ft, equals two football grounds

Testament to hard work, talent and commitment of India in 21st century. PM

“Vikrant is huge, massive, vast, distinguished and also special. It’s not just a warship, but a testament to the hard work, talent, influence and commitment of India in the 21st century,” the PM said.

• Editorial: Watershed Vikrant

The 45,000-tonne warship was commissioned at the Cochin Shipyard in Kochi, Kerala. India is now the sixth country to make a warship bigger than 40,000 tonnes. It will be the second carrier in the naval fleet after the Russian-origin INS Vikramaditya, which has been operating for the past 10 years. INS Vikrant will be powered by four LM-2500 gas turbines from US company General Electric, which together generate 88 MW of power. “We are committed to supporting India’s indigenous military programmes,” a GE statement said. The LCA Tejas fighter also uses the same company’s engines.

The Russian-made MiG-29K jets, already in the naval fleet, will be based on deck along with specialised submarine-hunting helicopters. The Navy has already announced it will start trials for landing and taking off fighter jets in November. The carrier was expected to be operationally deployed in eight months or so from now.

The INS Vikrant’s flight deck will be of STOBAR (short take-off but arrested recovery) configuration. As a fighter jet approaches the deck at 240 km per hour, a set of three ribbed steel ‘arrestor wires’ — each 1 inch thick — will pop up across the 60-metre wide deck. The undercarriage of the jet has a tail hook, which gets ‘arrested’ in wires and brings the aircraft to a stop within 90 metres of touchdown. For take-off, there is a 14-degree inclined ramp shaped like ski jump to give it a lift.

Once deployed, the INS Vikrant will lead the carrier battle group at sea. It will expand Indian Navy’s arc of ‘surveillance’, provide more attack options while having the agility to match latest warships.

Vikrant’s ‘RAN-40L’ radar provided by European Major Leonardo is a maritime air surveillance and early warning system capable of tracking and detecting aircraft or drones up to 400 km away. Besides own radars, the INS Vikrant will get feed from satellite Rukmini, surveillance planes like the Boeing P8-I and drones like the Predator. After a take-off has been ‘okayed’ a MiG 29K jet will take just 3 seconds to be airborne from its deck.

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