Onboard INS Vikrant/Mumbai: INS Vikrant, India’s first indigenously built warship, will enable New Delhi to become a “preferred security partner” in the Indian Ocean region even as it will bolster the country’s presence in the Indo-Pacific region. The $3 billion INS Vikrant got commissioned into the Indian Navy in September 2022 and since then the battleship has undergone several dense and intense operations, including the landing and take-off of the Light Combat Aircraft (Navy) and MiG-29K that marked the integration of fighter jets with the warship.
"Vikrant will also bolster India’s strategic location in the Indian Ocean. Indian Navy is geared up to work with all nations in the Indian Ocean Region, become their preferred security partner,” said Captain Vidhyadhar Harke, Commanding Officer INS Vikrant, responding to a question by ABP Live.
He also said: “India is a firm believer of maintaining the commons. The sea is part of the commons and we would work towards maintaining freedom of sea-lanes of communication and of upholding the availability of all the facilities which are emanating through the seas.”
Harke added that the ship’s primary role will be to maintain the freedom of navigation by keeping the sea-lanes free for seamless international trade. “This is why it is critical to have a carrier with its entire battlegroup,” he said.
INS Vikrant has 76 per cent indigenous content, which includes various engineering auxiliaries, weapons, sensors, deck and electrical machinery, the entire power distribution system and niche technologies such as the electronic warfare system, the combat management system. However, the ship also has components imported from the US, France, Israel and Russia.
The ship will not only assert India’s growing might in the Indian Ocean region but it will also send a “strong signal to China”, which is also fast modernising its naval capabilities, defence sources said.
According to Chinese media reports, Beijing launched its third aircraft carrier — Fujian — in June 2022, and is expected to undertake its first voyage later this year. China has plans to launch five aircraft carriers in total along with 10 nuclear ballistic missiles by 2030, according to a report by the United States Naval Institute.
‘Achieving Full Combat Potential’ Is Next Target For INS Vikrant
The ship has around 2,200 compartments, designed for a crew of around 1,600 that include specialised cabins to accommodate women officers and sailors. The carrier is designed with a high degree of automation for machinery operations, ship navigation and survivability.
"This is a milestone India has achieved which only a handful of countries have been able to do. To design, construct and operate an aircraft carrier is not an easy task. Only six countries in the entire world have been able to achieve this feat,” said Harke.
The ship is capable of operating an air wing consisting of 30 aircraft, which also includes helicopters such as Kamov-31, MH-60R, in addition to indigenously manufactured Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH). They are launched from its ski-ramp style deck and the ship is also equipped with defensive systems including surface-to-air missiles.
INS Vikrant has been designed by the Navy’s Warship Bureau having a displacement of 45,000 tonnes and built at a cost of Rs 20,000 crore.
The ship will soon be joining the navies of the US, Japan and Australia during the Malabar Naval exercise that is scheduled to take place later this year off the Australian coast. The Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, became the first head of state last week to visit the ship.
These countries are also part of the Quad. The Quad leaders’ summit will also be hosted by Australia this year.
“A strong navy is imperative for a strong economy. Vikrant will fulfil that dream … Our next target is to achieve full combat potential so that we become a credible and combat-capable platform,” said Harke.
He highlighted that the signing of mutual logistics agreements with the US, Australia and others will also help the warship.
“Indian Navy has signed mutual logistics agreements with many countries such as the US and Australia and others. Therefore, our ships and aircraft can now use their facilities. The Indian Navy has been also doing joint exercises, both bilateral and multilateral, with foreign navies. This year for the first time Australia will be hosting the Malabar Naval Exercise,” Harke said.
He also said that such warships are needed not just for security but also to maintain the safety of the “blue economy” in letting international trade continue without any threat.
“During 1950s our planners had proposed to develop at least three aircraft carriers. Thus, for us, who are now dependent on one carrier, will need more in the coming years. And it will be important that we make our own carrier like this,” said Harke.
The Indian Navy began operating aircraft carriers in 1961. The first carrier was also called ‘Vikrant’ that was procured from the UK, which retired in 1997. Following this another British-built carrier, INS Viraat, was inducted in the Navy and it operated for three decades before getting decommissioned in 2017. Finally, the design of a full-fledged carrier was approved by the government in 2002. Steel cutting, which signifies the start of production, began in 2005 and the indigenous aircraft carrier was conceived. The keel of the ship was laid in 2009. The ship was launched on 12 August, 2013 and christened as ‘Vikrant’.