INS Vikrant: Important facts and Historical Significance

Sakshi Education

INS Vikrant, India’s first home-built aircraft carrier was officially commissioned by PM NarendraModi after nearly a year of sea trials. The 45,000-ton warship was constructed for 20,000 crore rupees. The largest warship ever constructed in India, the INS Vikrant is 262 metres long and 62 metres broad. India now only possesses one aircraft carrier, the INS Vikramaditya, which is based on a Russian basis. The defence forces are looking for a total of three carriers, one for reserve purposes and one for each of the two main naval fronts in the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal.
It is capable of carrying 30 aircraft, including helicopters and MiG-29K fighter jets. The warship has room for around 1,600 crew members.
India currently only has one aircraft carrier, the Russian-platformed INS Vikramaditya. Three carriers in total have been sought after by the defence forces, one as a spare and one for each of the two main naval fronts in the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal.
The forerunner to INS Vikrant, which was instrumental in the independence of Bangladesh from Pakistan in 1971, has the name.
With the construction of INS Vikrant, India has joined a narrow group of countries that can design and construct their own aircraft carriers, including the US, UK, Russia, China, and France.