Indian Defence Minister AK Antony on Monday launched Indian’s first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant.
With the launch, India has joined the countries, including the United States, Russia, United Kingdom and France, capable of designing and building a carrier of this size and capability.
INS Vikrant has the capacity to carry 36 fighter planes and would undergo extensive trials in 2016 before being inducted into the navy by end 2018.
Nearly 90 percent of INS Vikrant’s hull has been built indigenously with India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Steel Authority of India (SAIL) supplying high quality steel.
The flight deck of INS Vikrant will have the capacity to hold 19 aircrafts and the hangar inside will have room for 17 fighters.
“The time interval between the take-offs of two fighters from the ship can be as low as three minutes and can be reduced to less than two minutes,” Indian naval officials said.