Cochin Shipyard Ltd on Thursday delivered the first indigenously built Aircraft Carrier (IAC-1) to the Indian Navy.  

The acceptance form was signed between Madhu S. Nair, Chairman and Managing Director, CSL and the Commanding Officer (Designate) of the vessel Commodore Vidhyadhar Harke, VSM.

The vessel is scheduled to be commissioned and inducted into the services in August.

The ship was launched on August 12, 2013, and with this, India joined the elite club of nations capable of indigenously designing and constructing an aircraft carrier. Considering its complexity and developmental nature, the project was executed under three different phases and the last phase of contract was signed in Oct 2019.

Cmde Vidhyadhar Harke, Commanding Officer Designate Vikrant, takes the delivery of the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier ‘Vikrant’ from the Cochin Shipyard Limited

Cmde Vidhyadhar Harke, Commanding Officer Designate Vikrant, takes the delivery of the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier ‘Vikrant’ from the Cochin Shipyard Limited | Photo Credit: PTI

Specifications

IAC is the largest warship ever to be built in India having a deep displacement of 45,000 tonne. It is unprecedented in size and complexity compared to any ship (both commercial and defence) built in India till date. The 21,500 tonne mammoth vessel is made with special grade steel used for the first time by the Indian Navy. The enormity of the vessel can be gauged from the 2,300 km of cabling, 120 km of piping and over 2,300 compartments available onboard. 

Indian Navy personnel taking delivery of the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier ‘Vikrant’ from Cochin Shipyard Limited

Indian Navy personnel taking delivery of the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier ‘Vikrant’ from Cochin Shipyard Limited | Photo Credit: PTI

The basic design developed indigenously by the Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design and the entire detailed engineering, construction and system integration was undertaken by the Cochin Shipyard Limited.

The construction of the IAC had created a vast network of national vendors and subcontractors and ancillary industries, including MSMEs covering the entire product life cycle management, including logistics and spares. Construction of the IAC has contributed to the Indian economy as it generated a demand in the upstream industries such as steel, electro mechanical machinery equipment and the downstream sectors like infrastructure and services, a statement said.

Building the IAC has also acted as a catalyst for high-end capability development in the country. The Naval design team has acquired significant insight into the basic and functional design aspects of an aircraft carrier. Thus the IAC project emerges as a true reflection of the Make in India and Atma Nirbhar Bharat initiatives of the Government.

Cochin Shipyard Ltd has a long association with the Indian Navy in the ship repair front. Currently, the yard is constructing eight Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Crafts (ASWSWCs), and won an order for the construction of six Next Generation Missile Vessels (NGMV) for the Indian Navy. The shipyard is also augmenting their infrastructure, including a new dry dock to cater to the construction of even larger ships, including a next generation Aircraft Carrier.

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