India’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier ‘Vikrant’ handed over to Indian Navy

Key Points to Know:

•  Our Indian Navy has created maritime history on July 28, 2022 by taking delivery of the prestigious Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (AC) ‘Vikrant from her builder Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), Kochi. Designed by the Indian Navy’s in-house Directorate of Naval Design (DND) and built by CSL, a Public Sector Shipyard under the Ministry of Shipping (MoS),.
• The carrier is christened after her illustrious predecessor, India’s first Aircraft Carrier which played a vital role in the 1971 war. 
• Coinciding with the celebrations to commemorate the 75th anniversary of India’s independence ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, the reincarnation of Vikrant is a true testimony to the country’s zeal and fervour in pursuing capability build up towards enhanced maritime security,” said the Indian Navy.
• The 262-meter-long carrier has a full displacement of close to 45,000 tonnes which is much larger and more advanced than her predecessor.
• The ship is powered by four Gas Turbines totalling 88 MW power and has a maximum speed of 28 Knots. Built at an overall cost of close to Rs 20,000 crores, the project has been progressed in three Phases of contract between MoD and CSL, concluded in May 2007, Dec 2014 and Oct 2019 respectively.
• With an overall indigenous content of 76 per cent, IAC is a perfect example of the nation’s quest for “Aatma Nirbhar Bharat” and provides a thrust to Government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative. With the delivery of Vikrant, India has joined a select group of nations having the niche capability to indigenously design and build an Aircraft Carrier.
• Various design iterations, including the use of 3D Virtual Reality models and advanced engineering software, were used by the Directorate of Naval Design in shaping the design of the carrier. 
• The successful delivery of the indigenous carrier, a major milestone activity and historical event, is testimony to the dedicated efforts of large number of stakeholders within Indian Navy, shipyard, industry, OEMs & MSMEs for over two decades.