INS Vikrant, India’s first “made-in-India” aircraft carrier, will be commissioned next year, with her combat capability, range, and versatility adding tremendous capabilities to the country’s defence, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said today at the southern naval command in Kochi.
Rajnath Singh called the INS Vikrant as “India’s pride and a shining example of Atmanirbhar Bharat” in a statement to the media during a visit to the Ernakulam pier of the Cochin port to evaluate its building progress.
The Indigenous Aircraft Carrier 1 (IAC-1) is another name for the INS Vikrant.
“Despite COVID-19, the project was originally approved by the NDA government and has made substantial progress recently.”
In a statement presented to the media, Mr Singh said, “Commissioning of the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) next year will be a worthy homage to 75 years of India’s freedom.”It was a delight for the minister to see firsthand the work being done on the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier, he said.
Rajnath Singh said the government is fully committed to Project Seabird at Karwar, which will be the Indian Navy’s largest naval facility in the future and would provide the facilities and infrastructure to support the navy’s operations in the Indian Ocean Region and beyond.
From design to steel used in construction to vital weapons and sensors, he claims the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier contains over 75% indigenous content.
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has approved the RFP for Project 75-I under the Strategic Partnership model, which would boost indigenous development of specialist manufacturing technologies, such as the miniature of aircraft.
Despite the hazards of COVID-19 spreading onboard warships, he said the Navy has made major efforts in the fight against COVID-19, bringing back Indian people from overseas during Op Samudra Setu-I and much-needed Liquid Medical Oxygen during Samudra Setu-II.
