The INS Vikrant.
Credit: X/@IN_WNC
Mumbai: In a significant day for the Indian Navy, indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant joined the Western Fleet on Friday.
INS Vikrant would significantly enhance the maritime power and reach of the ‘Sword Arm’ of the Indian Navy.
The Western Fleet is part of the Mumbai-headquartered Western Naval Command (WNC).
“The Carrier Battle Group led by INS Vikramaditya inducted INS Vikrant with a multi domain exercise and twin carrier fighter operations in the Arabian Sea,” an Indian Navy spokesperson said.
Both the ships are now in the Arabian Sea.
Both INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant would be homeported in INS Kadamba, the naval base in Karwar in Karnataka.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi commissioned INS Vikrant on 2 September, 2022.
INS Vikrant is designed by the Indian Navy's in-house Warship Design Bureau (WDB) and built by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), a public sector shipyard under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways.
It is equipped with state of the art automation features and is the largest ship ever built in maritime history of India.
The 262.5 m long and 61.6 m wide Vikrant displaces approximately 43,000 tonnes, having a maximum designed speed of 28 Knots with endurance of 7,500 nautical miles. The ship has around 2,200 compartments, designed for a crew of around 1,600 including women officers and sailors.
The carrier is designed with a very high degree of automation for machinery operations, ship navigation and survivability. The carrier is equipped with the latest state of the art equipment and systems.
The ship is capable of operating an air wing consisting of 30 aircraft comprising MiG-29K fighter jets, Kamov-31, MH-60R multi-role helicopters, in addition to indigenously manufactured Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) and Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) (Navy).
Using a novel aircraft-operation mode known as Short Take Off But Arrested Recovery (STOBAR), INS Vikrant is equipped with a ski-jump for launching aircraft, and a set of ‘arrester wires’ for their recovery onboard.