KOCHI (Cochin): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will commission the first indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant,   the largest ship ever built in India's maritime history, on Friday in Kochi, Kerala.

Modi will dedicate the carrier, constructed at the Cochin Shipyard for Rs 20,000 crore and equipped with advanced automation systems. Modi will also reveal the brand-new naval ensign (Nishaan) during the occasion, erasing the nation's colonial background.

Vice Admiral S N Ghormade, Vice Chief of the Indian Navy, had stated that INS Vikrant will help to maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and Indian Ocean region.  He added that MiG-29K planes will operate from the battleship for the first several years until aircraft landing trials on board INS Vikrant start in November and are finished by mid-2023.

It is believed that the commissioning of Vikrant represents a key step toward India being self-sufficient in the defence industry. With the building of "Vikrant," India has joined a small group of countries with the specialised expertise to design and construct an aircraft carrier domestically, including the US, the UK, Russia, China, and France.

The warship has been built using indigenous equipment and machinery supplied by India's major industrial houses and over 100 MSMEs.  India will have two operational aircraft carriers after Vikrant is commissioned, which would improve the country's maritime security.

The carrier is named after her illustrious predecessor, India's first aircraft carrier, which played a crucial role in the 1971 war with Pakistan. The carrier was designed by the Warship Design Bureau (WDB), the Indian Navy's internal organisation, and was constructed by public sector undertaking Cochin Shipyard Limited. The word "vikrant" signifies "victory" and "bravery." IAC's founding was accomplished in April 2005 by a formal steel cutting.
In partnership with the Indian Navy and the Defense Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL), Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) indigenized the warship grade steel needed for the building of the IAC. Following that, the hull's construction advanced, and the ship's keel was laid in February 2009.
The successful launch of the ship in August 2013 marked the end of the first phase of construction.  The Vikrant, which is 262 m long and 62 m broad, can travel 7500 nautical miles at a maximum planned speed of 28 knots while carrying about 43000 tonnes of cargo when fully loaded.

It features over 2,200 compartments, including specialised quarters for female officers and sailors, and it is built for a crew of about 1,600 people. The ship is also equipped with a full-fledged medical facility, which includes an isolation ward, an intensive care unit, a physiotherapy clinic, and labs.

In addition to locally produced Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH), Light Combat Aircraft, and Kamov-31 and MH-60R multi-role helicopters, it would be able to operate an air wing of 30 aircraft, including MiG-29K fighter jets (LCA).
The IAC has a ski-jump for launching aircraft using a revolutionary aircraft operation mode called Short Take Off But Arrested Recovery (STOBAR). Three "arrester wires" are installed inside of it for their recovery.

Commissioning of 'Vikrant' will highlight India's indigenisation capabilities, besides paying tributes to its freedom fighters and soldiers of the 1971 Indo-Pak war, a Defence statement had said.

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