Maiden indigenous aircraft carrier starts sea trials off Kochi

The 40,000-tonne carrier, the biggest warship made indigenously, is slated to join the Navy as INS Vikrant late next year

The much-awaited sea trials of India’s maiden indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC-1), built by the public sector Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL), began here on Wednesday. The 40,000-tonne carrier, whose keel-laying was held in 2009, is slated to join the Navy as INS Vikrant late next year. Its induction will give a fillip to the sea control capabilities of the Navy in the Indian Ocean Region. While the Indian Navy currently operates one aircraft carrier, INS Vikramaditya, it is keen to add a third one to its fleet in line with its perspective plan to simultaneously operate three carrier battle groups (CBG) so that two of them remain serviceable on either flank at any given time.