New Delhi: India’s first indigenously-built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant will contribute in ensuring peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and Indian Ocean region, Vice Chief of Indian Navy Vice Admiral S N Ghormade said on Thursday, ahead of the warship’s commissioning on September 2.
The Vice Admiral said the aircraft landing trials on board INS Vikrant will begin in November and they will be completed by mid-2023, adding the MiG-29K jets will operate from the warship for the first few years.
At a media briefing, he also said the planned induction of a fleet of deck-based jets from either Boeing or the Dassault Aviation would be an “interim arrangement” before the Navy gets the indigenously-built Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter (TEDBF).
INS Vikrant, built at a cost of around Rs 20,000 crore, will be commissioned into the Navy at a ceremony in Kochi which will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Vice Admiral Ghormade said INS Vikrant would be another formidable front-line asset in the Indian Navy’s ability to maintain credible presence in the maritime domain and protect the country’s interests.
He said the commissioning of INS Vikrant will not only make India enter an elite group of nations capable of manufacturing aircraft carriers above 40,000 tonnes category, but it will also reflect the country’s unity and diversity.
The Vice Chief said equipment for the aircraft carrier has been manufactured in 18 states and union territories including places such as Kolkata, Jalandhar, Kota, Pune, Delhi, Ambala, Hyderabad and Indore.