INS Vikrant and its handpicked crew

The eight officers featured in a brochure handed out to more than 3,000 guests at the INS Vikrant commissioning ceremony.

KOCHI: Eight men stand out among the handpicked INS Vikrant crew for the critical responsibilities they will have to shoulder to make sure that the 45,000-tonne warship is ready to execute round-the-clock missions in the far seas, officials familiar with aircraft carrier duties said on Friday.

Al the eight members of the vcrew have played important roles when Vikrant was put through its paces during a raft of rigourous trials at sea for almost a year before Prime Minister Narendra Modi commissioned the warship into the navy

They are the captain of the ship, the man in charge of INS Vikrant’s air wing, the warship’s second-in-command or executive officer, the medical officer, the logistics officer, the electrical officer, the engineer officer and the meteorological officer.

And all of them have played important roles when Vikrant was put through its paces during a raft of rigourous trials at sea for almost a year before Prime Minister Narendra Modi commissioned the warship into the navy.

“While every man serving on board an aircraft carrier or another warship his work cut out for him, those in leadership positions have to play a far more hands-on role,” said one of the officials cited above asking not to be named.

“The commissioning crew is usually chosen from among the best, in that rank and seniority. All these officers will play a crucial role in setting up, operationalisation and integration of the aircraft carrier with the fleet,” said a second official.

The commanding officer is the overall boss, the captain (air) heads all aspects of air operations and flight safety, and the executive officer is the principal warfare officer aboard and responsible for the warship’s day-to-day functioning and its combat readiness.

The electrical officer is responsible for all aspects related to power generation, its distribution, maintenance of all sensors, weapons and combat management systems, and all electrical systems supporting operations. The engineer officer performs the critical task of looking after the engineering department, including all engineering machinery and flight deck engineering equipment supporting flying operations.

The meteorological officer’s role is critical for flying operations – it his department that makes weather predictions.

The responsibility of the logistics officer is equally critical given that the aircraft carrier has to sail out for extended deployments with a crew of 1,600 men. The principal medical officer is in charge of the mini hospital on board with 16 beds and two operating theatres.

At ₹20,000 crore, Vikrant’s hasn’t come cheap and getting more bang for the buck will be essential for a country that needs to invest enormously in new military technologies to stay battle-ready, but whose defence spending has not matched the needs of its armed forces that are saddled with legacy equipment.

“I am sleeping well. I have full confidence in the capabilities of my men and my aircraft carrier. We are geared up and we are motivated,” Harke had earlier said.