India’s first indigenously built aircraft carrier, IAC-I “Vikrant”, is a tale of large numbers.
A 40,000-tonne warship, it is the largest by tonnage ever built in India. At a cost of around Rs 23,000 crore (~$3 billion), it is expensive, possibly the single-most expensive “item” in India’s military inventory. The IAC is 262-metres long, 62-metres wide at the flight deck (which is the size of two football fields), and has a height of 59 metres (about that of a 15-storey building).
With an air wing of around 30 aircraft, it can carry around 1,700 sailors to sea and is capable of sailing over 7,500 nautical miles without refueling (nearly 14,000 km—roughly the distance from Kochi to Alaska). IAC Vikrant’s top speed is around 28 knots (~51 kmph) and it can cruise at 18 knots (33kmph), courtesy its two American LM2500 gas turbine engines. A fully-equipped galley kitchen includes automated idli, dosa and chapati makers.
For proponents of Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India, it is a tale of inspiration. With 76 per cent indigenous content, it is not simply an expense for the defence ministry but a project that has created and sustained thousands of jobs across its 16 years of development. Around 550 Indian companies including around 100 medium and small scale industries (MSMEs) played a role in its construction.
Another aspect that makes the carrier unique is that it is the first Indian carrier to have gender-segregated compartments. “This ship has got accommodation facilities for women officers and they have got attached wash rooms and spaces which are earmarked and designed for women officers,” said Commander Manoj Kumar, senior naval architect for the IAC.
When the carrier was initially commissioned, the steel was to come from Russia. However, after Russia pulled out, India turned within to procure the special warship steel needed—the Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL) and Steel Authority of India (SAIL) then developed it in-house. The amount of steel that went into the carrier was enough to build three Eiffel Towers, Kumar said, adding that all the warhips that are being built in the country now are being built with this indigenous steel.
Speaking with THE WEEK during a media interaction onboard the carrier, Cochin Shipyard's former Director of Operations Suresh Babu said he was confident that another carrier of similar size could be built within 5-6 years time.
“We acquired the full skill-set, around 8,000 people are working in Cochin Shipyard; 1,800 permanent employees and 1,200 fixed-time contract employees, and remaining contract work: All have learned [certain] skill-sets. These skill-sets need to be conserved for the country.”
Experience helps: Cochin Shipyard had already worked on two carriers before Vikrant (INS Viraat and Vikramaditya both underwent repairs or maintenance at the shipyard).
Asked whether he saw an export market, he said other countries also had need for the kind of steel that was developed here, and said they could look at foreign defence vessels. That said, CSL already has Rs 22,000 crore worth of orders.
Officials from Cochin Shipyard and the Indian Navy walk up the flight deck of IAC-I. In the centre are CSL former Director of Operations Suresh Babu and Vice Admiral Anil Kumar Chawla, Flag Officer Commanding in Chief, Southern Naval Command | Varun Ramesh
Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Southern Naval Command, Anil Kumar Chawla, hailed the successful sea trials of IAC-I, noting that it coincided with the 60th year of the commissioning of its predecessor, INS Vikrant; the 50th year of the Swarnim Vijay Varsh, and the 75th year of Indian independence, Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
“India can be justifiably proud of its achievement, as we join an elite club of countries, just seven in all, which can design and build aircraft carriers,” he said.
Talking to THE WEEK on the role of the carrier, he said carriers undertake a variety of roles and power projection is one. “It can be used for a variety of roles, which are well known. This ship will add to the punch of the Indian Navy. Currently, we have just one aircraft carrier, this will make it two. Hopefully, there should be one aircraft carrier available at all times, so we can undertake all the tasks required to be undertaken, with this carrier availability. That will be enhanced with Vikrant coming into service.”
The future of the IAC-I involves many more tests. Pending further sea trials, it will also need to be weaponised and have take-off and landing trials. For now, it has been operationalised keeping the MiG-29K in mind. But other aircraft could be incoming.
The Indian Navy is known to be looking for a Multirole Carrier Borne Fighter, with 57 planned to be ordered. Competitors for this come from Boeing (F/A-18E/F Block III), Dassault (Rafale M), Saab (Sea Gripen), Mikoyan (MiG-29K) and the planned HAL Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter (TEDBF).
Speaking to THE WEEK, Captain Suraj Puroshottam, a Sea King pilot working in the warship overseeing team looking after aviation aspects of the aircraft carrier, said other models of aircraft could also take-off and land on IAC Vikrant. “Future aircraft can also be accommodated into it,” he said.
“Once they start looking for aircraft which are going to operate it will be either the indigenously built aircraft like the Tejas or the TEDBF or the type of aircraft that is going to be taken in, they can be taken in with required infrastructural modifications," he added.
Vikrant completed its maiden sea trials on August 8. With the ship expected in service in 2022, India will finally have one carrier to guard each sea. But China, which is already preparing its third aircraft carrier, will have the numerical edge.
