In News:

• The Cochin Shipyard has handed over to the Navy the indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant and will likely be commissioned on August 15.
• An aircraft carrier is a large ship that carries military aircraft and has a long, flat surface where they take off and land.

What’s in Today’s Article

• Indigenous Aircraft Carrier - Significance, India’s earlier aircraft carriers
• News Summary

Significance of IAC for India

• Enable transition from Brown Water Navy to Blue Water Navy
  • A blue water navy is a navy that has the capacity to project a nation’s strength and power across the high seas.
  • A brown water navy is capable of military operations in littoral zone waters.
• Strategic significance
  • India’s area of responsibility ranges from the east coast of Africa to the Western Pacific.
  • High percentage of India’s trade passing through the South China Sea.
  • Also, India is a dominant force in Indo-Pacific region.
  • Hence, IAC makes India a significant maritime power in the Indo-Pacific region and empowers India to counter China in the region more effectively.
    • China has two operational aircraft carriers and the third one was launched recently in June 2022.
• India joined elite club
• So far, only five or six nations have the capability of manufacturing an aircraft carrier.
• Aatma Nirbhar Bharat
  • With an overall indigenous content of 76%, the aircraft carrier is a perfect example of the quest for Aatma Nirbhar Bharat.

India’s Earlier Aircraft Carriers

• INS Vikramaditya - The Navy’s only aircraft carrier in service currently (Russian built, commissioned in 2013)
• INS Vikrant – It was British-built HMS Hercules; Commissioned in Indian Navy in 1961. It was India’s first aircraft carrier. It played a stellar role in 1971 War with Pakistan.
• INS Viraat - It was British-built HMS Hermes; Commissioned in Indian Navy in 1987

News Summary

• The Indian Navy took delivery of IAC-1, the nation’s first indigenously built aircraft carrier from its manufacturer, Cochin Shipyard Ltd.
• The carrier, after commissioning, will be called ‘Vikrant. The commissioning of this carrier is likely to take place on Independence Day.

Key highlights:

• Features
  • 
  • The 262-metre-long carrier has a full displacement of close to 45,000 tonnes.
  • The ship would be capable of operating an air wing consisting of 30 aircraft.
  • The aircraft carrier will be initially with the western naval command.
    • The Western Naval Command is one of the three command–level formations of the Indian Navy.
    • It is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• Perfect example of collaboration with private players
  • The aircraft carrier has a large number of indigenous equipment and machinery from major private players such as Kirloskar, Larsen & Toubro, etc.
  • Over 100 MSMEs were also involved in the production of this ship.
  • The indigenisation efforts have led to the development of ancillary industries besides the generation of employment opportunities.