India finally commissions its first indigenous aircraft carrier
The Indian Navy commissioned the carrier INS Vikrant on 2 September, nearly seven years behind schedule. (IN)
It took many, many years longer than anticipated, but the Indian Navy has finally got its hands on an indigenously built aircraft carrier.
The Indian Navy (IN) commissioned its 43,000t INS Vikrant aircraft carrier on 2 September, but it will only be fully operational by late 2023, senior officials said.
Delayed by nearly seven years, INS Vikrant cost INR200 billion ($2.52 billion), almost six times its expected price.
Officials said flight trials on the short-take-off-but-arrested-recovery carrier would begin in November. The aim is to integrate MiG-29K/KUB fighters, a task that should be completed around mid-2023.
Designed by the navy’s Warship Design Bureau in Delhi, and constructed by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), the carrier’s keel was laid in 2009.
The postponements were due
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