Kochi, Aug. 11 (ANI): India will launch its first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant on Monday, making an entry into a select club of countries capable of designing and building a carrier of this size and capability.
Defence Minister A K Antony's wife Elizabeth will launch the 37,500 tonne carrier at Kochi shipyard close to four-and-a-half years after its keel was laid by the minister.
Vice Admiral K. R. Nair said the carrier would go for extensive trials in 2016 before being inducted into the Navy by 2018 end.
"This is the first time that we have built a warship of this complexity and of this tonnage. So, it has been a big challenge for us. As you know that the challenges have posed some problems, but hopefully now the problems are behind us. The equipments have come on the ship," said Vice-Admiral Nair.
"The ship is getting launched tomorrow. And then subsequently more equipments will get fitted, the outfitting will get over, the weapon sensor will get fitted and she will start going for trials from the year 2016," he added.
Meanwhile, Commodore K. Subramaniam, the CMD of Cochin Shipyard Ltd., said India will after the launch of aircraft carrier INS Vikrant join a league of about four nations, who have capability to design and built warship of this size.
"There are about eight to ten nations, which are actually operating aircraft carries, but very few nations have undertaken a task of designing and building the aircraft carriers." he added.
Apart from domestic design and manufacturing work, it is the high grade warship steel made by the Steel Authority of India which has been used for building the ship. Mig 29K, Light Combat Aircraft and Kamov 31 could fly from the carrier.
The other countries, which are capable of designing and building an equivalent size ship, are the US, the UK, Russia and France. (ANI)
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