Kochi: INS Vikrant- India’s first indigenously made aircraft carrier finally made it to the waters. PM Modi on Friday commissioned the aircraft carrier in Kochi, that put India into a select league of countries with domestic capability to build such large war ships.
The 45,000 ton warship has been built at the Cochin Shipyard Limited at a cost of Rs 20,000 crore. Stretching to 262 m, the IAC-1 is the largest warship built in India so far. It can have 30 aircraft on board, including MiG-29K fighter jets and helicopters. The vessel features over 2,300 compartments and provides room for a crew of around 1,700 personnel and includes specialized cabins for women officers.
The ship whose construction began in 2009 has the hanger as big as 2 Olympic pools. Apart from this the vessel has a 16 bed hospital facility.
The commissioning ceremony was attended by a host of dignitaries including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Kerala Governor Arif Mohamad Khan, state Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Ernakulam MP Hibi Eden, Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar and top officials of Navy and Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL). Modi unveiled a plaque to mark the induction of INS Vikrant, named after its predecessor that played a crucial role in the 1971 Indo-Pak war, into the Navy. The carrier is equipped with state-of-the-art features.