DEFENCE MINISTER Rajnath Singh said on Friday that India’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC), INS Vikrant, is likely to be commissioned next year, Trend reports.
The IAC has been under construction at the Cochin Shipyard for over a decade. Singh visited the site on Friday to review its progress. "Reviewed first-hand the ongoing work on the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier, which is India’s pride and a shining example of Atmanirbhar Bharat. The IAC has made significant progress. Commissioning of the IAC next year will be a befitting tribute to 75 years of India’s independence," he tweeted.
At present, India has only one aircraft carrier, the Russian-origin INS Vikramaditya. The Navy said in a statement that the IAC will be "as INS Vikrant in the first half of 2022, which would be the most potent sea-based asset". It will operate MiG-29K fighter aircraft, Kamov-31 Air Early Warning Helicopters, the soon-to-be-inducted MH-60R multi-role helicopter, and the indigenously manufactured Advanced Light Helicopters, it said.