Indian Navy Begins Rafale Marine Trials in Goa for INS Vikrant Operations

INS Vikrant Latest News

The Indian Navy recently commenced trials of the Rafale Marine fighter aircraft at the Shore Based Test Facility in Goa to validate modifications required for operations from the indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant.

About INS Vikrant

• It is India’s first indigenously designed and manufactured aircraft carrier.
• The ship has been designed in-house by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau and constructed by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) in Kochi.
• It is the largest warship ever constructed in the country. 
• It takes its name from India’s first aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant (R11), bought from the UK,  which was decommissioned in 1997.  
• It was commissioned into the Indian Navy in 2022.
• With the induction of INS Vikrant, the Indian Navy now has two aircraft carriers in its array–INS Vikramaditya (a modified Kiev-class aircraft carrier purchased from Russia) being the other one. 
• With it, India also joins the elite group of nations–the US, Russia, France, the UK, and China – who are capable of designing and constructing aircraft carriers. 

‹ ›

INS Vikrant Features

• Size: The carrier is 262.5 metres long and 61.6 metres wide, with a displacement of approximately 45,000 tonnes.
• The massive aircraft carrier boasts 14 decks. The ship accommodates around 1,600 personnel, including women officers and sailors, and contains approximately 2,200 compartments.
• Indigenous Content: 76 percent of the ship is indigenously built, including around 30,000 tonnes of specialty steel supplied by Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL).
• Propulsion: It is powered by four gas turbines that together generate about 88 megawatts of power.
• Speed: It can achieve a maximum designed speed of 28 knots.
• Endurance: 8,600 miles (13,890 kilometres), and it is capable of functioning independently for up to 45 days at sea.
• It is capable of operating an air wing consisting of 30 aircraft comprising MIG-29K fighter jets, Kamov-31, and MH-60R multi-role helicopters, in addition to indigenously manufactured Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) and Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) (Navy). 
• It operates on the Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery (STOBAR) system, which allows aircraft to take off using a ski jump and land with the help of arrester wires.

News: SWAR