India Get Its First Indigenously-Built Aircraft Carrier ‘INS Vikrant’

Indian Navy said that with IAC Vikrant, India joins a specific group of countries having niche capability to indigenously design, build aircraft carriers.

India has joined a small group of countries with the specialized competence to design and produce aircraft carriers beyond 40,000 tonnes with the delivery of Vikrant, the country’s first indigenously built aircraft carrier, the Indian Navy announced on Thursday.

According to Indian Navy Commodore Thapar, who was speaking during a news briefing, “India has entered the select club of nations including the United States, United Kingdom, Russia, China, and France to build and manufacture aircraft carriers beyond 40,000 tonnes.”

According to Navy Vice Admiral SN Ghormade, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the chief guest at the ceremony on September 2 to commission the nation’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, Vikrant. 

According to the Indian Navy, IAC Vikrant has 2,200 compartments in total, including specialized rooms for female officers and Agniveer sailors. It is built for a crew of about 1,700 people.

The indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC) “Vikrant” of India will be put into service on September 2 in a significant boost to the country’s maritime security. The aircraft carrier includes a compact hospital with 16 beds, two operating rooms, and a CT scanner to handle medical emergencies on board.

The medical officer assigned to INS Vikrant, Lieutenant Commander Harsha MR, said, “In addition to our more than 40 compartments dispersed around the entire ship, Vikrant has a major medical complex. 

Our 16-bed hospital has all the necessary equipment, including a lab, a CT scan, an ultrasonogram, an X-ray, a blood transfusion department, two dental chairs, and dental treatment facilities.”

The IAC Vikrant will be the first Indian warship to feature a CT scanner and two operating rooms, the Lieutenant Commander added.

The Navy vice chief stated that 18 states and union territories, including Ambala, Daman, Kolkata, Jalandhar, Kota, Pune, and New Delhi, produced the equipment for the Vikrant.