In an effort to compete with China's considerably larger and expanding fleet of warships and to strengthen its own shipbuilding industry, India has commissioned its first home-built aircraft carrier, as reported first by Al Jazeera.
Second-Largest Operational Aircraft Carrier
The second-largest operational aircraft carrier in India, the INS Vikrant-whose name means "powerful" or "courageous" in Sanskrit-joins the Soviet-era INS Vikramaditya, which India acquired from Russia in 2004 to defend the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal.
This commissioning comes after India raised concerns last month when a Chinese navy ship sailed to a port China had constructed in Sri Lanka. New Delhi thinks the ship could be used to monitor the area off the Indian coast even though China has insisted it was a research vessel.
The new 262-meter (860-foot) INS Vikrant, created by the Indian navy and constructed in the Cochin Shipyard in southern India, was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday as part of the nation's celebration of 75 years of independence from British rule.
Modi emphasized the significance of India now as it joins an elite group of few countries with an indigenous aircraft carrier construction plan, which goes beyond simply enhancing the nation's naval capabilities.
For now, the Vikrant will count on MIG-29K fighters of Russian design that are already stationed at INS Vikramaditya.
Largest Warship Ever Constructed
According to the navy, the carrier is the largest warship ever constructed in India. It can house a crew of roughly 1,600 people and fly a fleet of 30 aircraft, such as fighter jets and helicopters.
The 47,400-ton battleship will first go through landing testing with the MiG-29K aircraft and be completely operational by the end of 2023. More than two dozen jets will also be added to the carrier by India, with the F/A-18 Block III Super Hornet and the Rafale-M from France's Dassault, which is still being considered.
According to the defense ministry, over 100 smaller businesses and half a dozen large industrial companies supplied the machinery and equipment that went into the new aircraft carrier for India.
India dispatched four of its ships to Southeast Asia, the South China Sea, and the Indo-Pacific last year to participate in exercises with vessels from the United States, Japan, and Australia, also known as the Quad.
As stated by the U.S. Department of Defense, the PLAN will have 460 ships by the end of this decade, up from the existing 355 ships.
In addition to having two aircraft carriers, the PLAN also launched a third one in June. Its electromagnetic launch technology is very similar to that of the upcoming U.S. aircraft carriers, according to Interesting Engineering.
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Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla
