India’s indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant to be commissioned on Sept 2

A staggering 76 per cent of the ship has been made indigenously; parts were built across 18 states and union territories and it is a symbol of 'national unity'.

UPDATE: PM Modi commissions INS Vikrant, nation's first made-in-India aircraft carrier

Indian Navy personnel after taking delivery of the prestigious indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant' from builder Cochin Shipyard Ltd in Kochi on Thursday. (PTI)

India is set to become only the sixth country to have an indigenously-made, 40,000 tonnes+ aircraft carrier, the Navy said Thursday. Other countries to boast such a military asset are the United States, the United Kingdom, China, Russia and France. Indian Naval Ship Vikrant will be commissioned September 2 in Kerala with prime minister Narendra Modi in attendance.

Addressing reporters today, Vice Admiral SN Ghormade said the commissioning would contribute to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. The Vice Admiral also stressed that the commissioning would be an expression of India's indigenous military capability. He also called on military R&D (research and development) organisations to work on producing indigenous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) like the US-made Predators.

5 things to know about Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) Vikrant:

> Built at a cost of around ₹20,000 crore, Vikrant last month completed the fourth and final phase of sea trials. A staggering 76 per cent of the ship has been made indigenously; parts were built across 18 states and union territories and it is a symbol of 'national unity'.

> Vikrant is 260 metres long and 60 metres wide, and has 2,200 compartments. There will be separate accommodation for women officers and female Agniveer sailors.

> The carrier has been made with warship-grade steel, production of which is the combined effort of the Navy, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL).

> Vikrant has been designed to host the MiG-29K fighter jet but the Navy will eventually look to deploy the indigenously developed Twin Engine Deck-Based Fighter, or TED-BF. In the interim, Vice Admiral Ghormade said, Rafale and F-18 jets will be deployed on Vikrant.

> Fully loaded, Vikrant can carry as many as 36 fighter jets; 19 on the flight deck and 17 in the hangars below.