In pictures | Might over the sea

INS Vikrant joined French Navy’s nuclear powered carrier Charles de Gaulle in the Arabian Sea off Goa for Exercise Varuna

Aircraft carriers project power like no other military platform. Despite the rapid proliferation of long-range missiles and asymmetric technological platforms such as drones, making large military platforms vulnerable, there is renewed global interest in fielding carriers, especially in the Indo-Pacific.

While the U.S. continues its dominance with its nuclear-powered super-carriers, China, which commissioned its first carrier Liaoning in 2012, is building its fourth one now, likely nuclear powered and a super-carrier.

The Indian Navy has a long history of operating carriers since 1961 with the erstwhile 19,500-tonne Vikrant purchased from the U.K. Today, it operates two medium-sized carriers displacing over 40,000 tonnes, INS Vikramaditya, refurbished and acquired from Russia, and INS Vikrant, the country’s first carrier to be indigenously designed and developed and was commissioned in September 2022.

Both launch jets with a ski-jump and recover them with a landing hook and arrestor wire. On March 5, 2023 the two carriers showcased “twin carrier operations” with MiG-29K fighter jets taking off simultaneously from both and landing cross deck as Defence Minister Rajnath Singh looked on, showcasing that INS Vikrant was fully operationalised.

This year, from March 19 to 22, INS Vikrant joined French Navy’s nuclear powered carrier Charles de Gaulle (CDG) in the Arabian Sea off Goa for Exercise Varuna. The CDG has been on deployment in the Indian Ocean Region since November 2024 as part of the Clemeenceau-25. The CDG operates Rafale-fighters jets, and India is all set to conclude a deal for 26 of the jets to operate from both its carriers.