Indian aircraft carrier INS Vikrant ready for Phase-II trials


According to information published by The Hindu on October 2, 2021, the maiden sea trials of the indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant have progressed very well and the second phase of trails are expected to begin at the end of October with the third phase planned for December, a defense official said.
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Russian Vyborg Shipyard laid the Purga ice class coastguard ship of project 23550 925 001 Indian Navy's INS Vikrant aircraft carrier (Picture source: Twitter account of Ramesh Menon)


The INS Vikrant aircraft carrier was designed by the Directorate of Naval Design of the Indian Navy and the first warship to be built by Cochin Shipyard. She was floated out of its dry dock on 29 December 2011 and was launched on 12 August 2013.

The INS Vikrant has a length of 262 m, a wide of 62 m, and a displacement of 39,000 tons and she features a STOBAR (Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery) configuration with a ski-jump.

INS Vikrant is able to carry 36 to 40 fixed-wing aircraft including 26 fighter aircraft Mikoyan MiG-29K and 10 helicopters including Kamov Ka-31, Westland Sea King, and HAL Dhruv, a utility helicopter designed and developed by the Indian company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

The armament of the INS Vikrant includes four Otobreda 76 mm (3 in) dual-purpose naval guns, 2x32 VLS (Vertical launching System) Barak 1 & Barak 8 surface-to-air missile launchers and Russian-made AK-630 CIWS (Close-In Weapon Systems) based on a six-barreled 30 mm rotary cannon.

The INS Vikrant is powered by four General Electric LM2500 gas turbines and two Elecon COGAG gearbox. She can reach a top speed of 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph) with a maximum cruising range of 8,000 nautical miles (15,000 km; 9,200 mi). This aircraft carrier has a crew of 1,645 sailors including 196 officers.