Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) Vikrant successfully accomplished its five-day maiden sea voyage as part of sea trials and returned to Kochi on Sunday evening.
The trials progressed as planned, and all system parameters proved satisfactory. The carrier will continue to undergo a series of sea trials to prove all equipment and systems, prior to being handed over to the Indian Navy, official sources said.
The IAC was designed by the Directorate of Naval Design (DND) of the Indian Navy and was being built at Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL). It is a leading example of the nation’s quest for Atma Nirbhar Bharat and the Indian Navy’s Make in India initiative, with more than 76% indigenous content, said a Navy press release.
During the maiden sailing, the ship’s performance, including hull, main propulsion, power generation and distribution, and auxiliary equipment, was tested. The trials, which were reviewed by Vice Admiral A.K. Chawla, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command (SNC), on Sunday progressed as planned, and system parameters proved satisfactory. “The successful completion of maiden trials sorties, despite challenges posed by the pandemic and the protocols in place, is testimony to the dedicated efforts of large number of stakeholders for over a decade [to construct the IAC]. This is a major milestone and a historical event. The carrier would undergo a series of sea trials to prove all equipment and systems prior to its delivery in 2022,” the release said.
The delivery of Vikrant is being targeted to coincide with the celebrations to commemorate the 75th anniversary of India’s independence, Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. With the delivery of the IAC, India will join the select group of nations having the capability to indigenously design and build aircraft carriers and will give thrust to the government’s Make in India initiative. The delivery of the IAC to the Navy will also strengthen India’s position in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and its quest for a blue-water Navy.
The carrier is 262 metres long, 62 metres at the widest part and has a height of 59 metres, including the superstructure. There are 14 decks in all, including five in the superstructure. The ship has over 2,300 compartments, designed for a crew of around 1,700, having gender-sensitive accommodation spaces for woman officers. The ship with high degree of automation for machinery operation, ship navigation and survivability has been designed to accommodate an assortment of fixed wing and rotary aircraft.
“The maiden sea trial of the vessel was a complete success, and we have tested all the parameters. Our focus is on completion of the rest of the sea trials and delivering the vessel to the Indian Navy in 2022,” said Madhu S. Nair, Chairman and Managing Director, CSL. The completion of the maiden sea trial was a “mammoth confidence booster” to the entire team, as the vessel returned to the shipyard here around 5.30 p.m. on Sunday.
Mr. Nair and Vice Admiral Chawla welcomed the personnel on board the IAC as it returned to Kochi.
