Trials For Integration Of Aircraft With INS Vikrant Have Begun, To Be Completed By Mid 2023: Navy Chief

When asked about the Indian Navy's budget, he stated, "There is no financial constraint. The government has provided adequate budgetary assistance to all of the programmes that we are doing".

Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar stated on Wednesday that the integration of aircraft with the newly commissioned aircraft carrier INS Vikrant is expected to be completed by May or June of next year.

The carrier was commissioned once the sea trials were completed. He informed reporters after evaluating the Passing Out Parade of the 143rd course of the National Defence Academy (NDA) at Khadakwasla in Maharashtra's Pune area that aircraft integration testing had begun.

"The first thing we need to check is about the aircraft landing system. Those trials are going on currently. Normally, the integration of the aircraft takes anytime between six to eight months from the commissioning of the aircraft. We hope to accomplish it by May or June before the monsoon," he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. 

On the induction of the NDA's first batch of women cadets, he stated, "Our forces are gender neutral. Women are already serving in combat positions. Women serve as officers in the armed forces, including the Navy." He described the Navy's decision to begin inducting women sailors as a watershed moment.

"We had 3,000 vacancies for sailors this year, and we received 10 lakh applications, including 82,000 from women," stated the Navy head.

When asked about the Navy's modernization strategy, Admiral Kumar stated, "The Indian Navy is undertaking modernization. In 1960, we commissioned our first small ship by ourselves. Since then, we've been building bigger and bigger ships. After this, we started building destroyers, culminators, and aircraft carriers. In fact, the (latest) aircraft carrier is 76% indigenous, which is a significant achievement for the country." According to him, 29 ships and submarines manufactured in India have been commissioned in the last seven years.

"We have 45 ships under construction out of which 43 are built in India. We are processing the acceptance of necessity for another 49 ships. Thus, there's much focus on the modernisation plan and the government is supporting us. The work is in progress as expected," he added.

When questioned about the Indian Navy's budget, he responded, "The budget is not an issue. To support all the programmes we are advancing, the government has allocated an adequate budget".

(With Inputs From PTI)