India's first domestic aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, will
be officially commissioned today after nearly a year of sea trials. The 45,000-tonne
warship was built at a cost of Rs 20,000 crore. Here are the top 10 events in
this great story:
1. The aircraft carrier will be commissioned by Indian Prime
Minister Narendra Modi at the Cochin Shipyard. Prime Minister Modi also
unveiled the new naval flag during the event. The Navy had earlier said that
the new insignia would be in keeping with India's rich maritime heritage.
2. INS Vikrant is 262 meters long and 62 meters wide, making
it the largest warship in India. It can carry 30 aircraft, including MiG-29K
fighters and helicopters. The warship can accommodate almost 1,600 crew
members.
3. INS Vikrant will first have MiGs and some helicopters.
The Navy is buying 26 carrier aircraft, which has been narrowed down to a
handful of Boeing and Dassault aircraft.
4. The warship has been under construction for more than ten
years. Several phases of sea trials of INS Vikrant have been completed since
August 21 last year. The air trials will take place after the command is given
to the fleet.
5. Currently, India has only one aircraft carrier, INS
Vikramaditya, which is built on a Russian platform. The defense force has been
looking for three aircraft carriers - one for standby and one for two main
naval fronts in the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal.
6. INS Vikrant is named after its predecessor which played a
key role in the 1971 war against Pakistan to liberate Bangladesh.
7. With INS Vikrant, India joins the group of countries like
US, UK, Russia, China and France that can design and build their own aircraft
carriers.
8. The Indian Navy sees this new warship as an important
addition to its arsenal. India can now deploy aircraft carriers on its east and
west coasts and expand its maritime presence.
9. China has aggressively expanded its naval power. The
latest satellite images provided by NDTV show that China's naval base in
Djibouti, in the Horn of Africa, is now fully operational and supporting
warships stationed in the Indian Ocean. Recently, a Chinese "spy"
ship that docked in Sri Lanka and India has also caused concern.
10. The current Indian Navy consists of one aircraft
carrier, 10 destroyers, 12 frigates and