INS Vikrant all set to be commissioned next week

Ajay Banerjee

Onboard INS Vikrant, August 24

Aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, the 45,000-tonne warship which is India’s biggest-ever indigenous military project, is set to be commissioned next week.

The existing aircraft carrier, the Russian-origin INS Vikramaditya, has been operating for the past 10 years. Vikrant beats its older sister in term of technology and also engines. Four LM2500 gas turbines from US company General Electric have been fitted in Vikrant and each generates 30,000 horse power. Vikramaditya is powered by steam boilers — a five-decade-old Soviet-era technology.

Jets can take off in 3 seconds

• After a take-off has been okayed, a MiG 29K jet will take just three seconds to be airborne from its deck
• The ship has a dedicated hospital with CT and ultrasound scanning, X-ray machine, operation theatre and even a dental clinic

Vikrant is 262-m-long, and the Russia-made MiG 29K jets, which are already in the naval fleet, will be based on its deck as would specialised submarine-hunting helicopters.

Commodore Vidhyadhar Harke, the commanding officer of the warship, told The Tribune, “The warship is capable of undertaking complex operations at sea.”

Vikrant, once deployed, will lead the carrier battle group at sea. It will expand Navy’s arch of surveillance, provide more attack options at sea while having the agility to match latest warships. A carrier battle group would comprise Vikrant, a submarine or two, three or four other warships and a fleet tanker carrying tonnes of food and fuel for mid-sea replenishment.

Besides its own radars, Vikrant will get feed from military satellite Rukmini, surveillance planes, such as Boeing P-8I, and drones like the Predator.

The warship will set sail from its manufacturing base at Cochin Shipyard a few days after commissioning, which is scheduled to be done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. After this, the Navy will start trials for the landing and taking off of fighter jets and also fitting the long range surface to air missiles — the Barak.

Sources said Vikrant was expected to be operationally deployed in eight months or so. The Navy has been flying the MiG 29K jets from INS Vikramaditya for 10 years now. Both warships have the same aviation operating system sourced from Russia, making integration easier.