USS Vikrant is a revival of the name of the former aircraft carrier USS Vikrant, which was active from 1961 to 1997. Navy tradition is not to let names die. @cslcochin (twitter)
On October 26, 1949, the Council of Defense Ministers, assessing the needs of the Indian Navy, clarified the concept of having two “light aircraft carriers”.
The plan for a new independent India emerged from the attack carriers built during World War II. In April 1942, four months after the famous Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, the United States attacked Tokyo for the first time by aircraft carrier. The B25 was launched from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet in what strategic circles are calling the “Doolittle Raid” after its leader, Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle.
A few days later, on September 2, at the Cochin Shipyards Limited (CSL) shipyard in Kochi, Kerala, the first 45,000th aircraft carrier built by Vikrant will be put into operation. Although the Navy has operated three aircraft carriers since 1961, they are all second-hand.
Vikrant is the first concept, design, development and construction company in India. Everything from drawing the right blueprints to building warships to integrating engines, aircraft systems and radars is a forerunner. These are technologies that no country can share with other countries. This is not just the result of two decades of effort building aircraft carriers, it refers to the core of the 1949 idea of having your own aircraft carrier.
“The mobility, stability, overall air power and reach of the Vikrant will increase combat capability,” said Vice Admiral S. N. Gormade, Vice Admiral of the Navy.
The Vikrant was designed to operate autonomously, which extended the operational reach of the Navy. Its engine is modern and heavy duty. Aircraft carriers have hangars for storing fighters and helicopters. Vikrant is equipped with a 30 ton offshore aircraft lift (carrying aircraft from hangar to deck) with a sleek design that does not interfere with deck flights.
“Vikrant is a marvel, five to seven times the size of any warship ever built by India,” explained Madhu Nair, Chairman and Managing Director of CSL. About 76% of the budget (approximately Rs 20,000 crores) was spent on purchasing equipment and labor from India. Among others, TATA, L&T, Wartsila and Kirloskar Pneumatics, along with public sector Bharat Electronics Limited, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Mishra Dhatu Nigam (MIDHANI) shaped the progress. Among others, TATA, L&T, Wartsila and Kirloskar Pneumatics, along with public sector Bharat Electronics Limited, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Mishra Dhatu Nigam (MIDHANI) shaped the progress. Среди прочих, TATA, L&T, Wartsila и Kirloskar Pneumatics, наряду с государственным сектором Bharat Electronics Limited, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited и Mishra Dhatu Nigam (MIDHANI), определили прогресс. Among others, TATA, L&T, Wartsila and Kirloskar Pneumatics, along with the public sector Bharat Electronics Limited, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Mishra Dhatu Nigam (MIDHANI), have made progress.其中，TATA、L&T、Wartsila 和Kirloskar Pneumatics 以及公共部门Bharat Electronics Limited、Hindustan Aeronautics Limited 和Mishra Dhatu Nigam (MIDHANI) 共同推动了这一进程。其中，TATA、L&T、Wartsila 和Kirloskar Pneumatics 以及公共部门Bharat Electronics Limited、Hindustan Aeronautics Limited 和Mishra Dhatu Nigam (MIDHANI) Среди них TATA, L&T, Wartsila и Kirloskar Pneumatics, а также государственный сектор Bharat Electronics Limited, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited и Mishra Dhatu Nigam (MIDHANI) руководят процессом. Among them, TATA, L&T, Wartsila and Kirloskar Pneumatics, as well as the public sector Bharat Electronics Limited, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Mishra Dhatu Nigam (MIDHANI) are leading the process.
Imagine the scenario: the sea is dead at night. The MiG-29-K fighter returned to Vikrant, located about 400 kilometers away, after completing the mission. Pilots use the secure link to “tether” to the ship’s aviation complex, maintaining what Navy pilots call a “button” or complete radio silence procedure.
When the pilot descends, the optical landing system (OLS) “Luna 3E” on the warship directs the pilot to the specified “descent trajectory”. To explain, OLS is similar to the Instrument Landing Assistance System (ILS) used at airports. Fighters will approach the deck at a speed of 240 kilometers per hour. A set of 3 1″ thick ribbed steel “discharge cables” popped out of the 60m deck. The landing gear of the aircraft has a tail hook that is “stopped” by cables, causing the aircraft to come to a stop within 90 meters of the touchdown point. There is a ski-jump shaped sloped 14-degree ramp on takeoff to help it take off.
The Vikrant RAN-40L radar, supplied by the European company Leonardo, is a maritime airborne surveillance and early warning system capable of tracking and detecting aircraft or drones at a distance of up to 400 kilometers.
Several screens in the control room, called the bridge, display threats to the captain. “Sea control is an integral part of an aircraft carrier and its assigned battle groups,” said Commodore Vidyadhar Harke. He will be the ship’s captain during sea trials.
Vikrant will also receive sensor data and images from Predator drones, Boeing P8-I reconnaissance aircraft and the Rukmini maritime satellite. “The surveillance bubble would be wider and more efficient,” said Lt. Col. Ajay Singh, who was in charge of flights.
Some weapons and equipment are imported. The long-range anti-aircraft missile (LRSAM) belongs to Israel, while Russia provides an aviation complex and MiG-29-K fighters. The integration of the power plant was carried out by Fincantieri in Italy. The LM 2500 four-engine marine gas turbines are manufactured by General Electric in the US, but HAL played a role in integrating the engines. The integration of all weapons systems will be carried out through the Homeland Combat Management System (CMS).
In 2003, the central government approved the design and construction of a “domestic aircraft carrier”. The drawings were made by the designers of the warships of the Navy. The first symbolic steel cutting was completed in 2006, and the delivery of the vessel is scheduled for 2012. Problems followed. Steel is not shipped from Russia. Indian defense companies are on a “list of entities” barred from participating in global operations following the 1998 nuclear test.
The State Steel Administration, the Navy and DRDO joined forces to produce local steel for warships “DMR 249A and DMR 249B”.
In addition to materials such as steel and cables, New Delhi took the time to source the right type of engine, gearbox, diesel alternator and other pre-start equipment.
The Ministry of Defense informed Parliament in September 2007: “The final delivery of the ship may be delayed compared to previous deliveries in 2012.” “The complexity of the project and the fact that this is the first ship of its kind to be built in India has led to an increase in the timeline,” Navy officials said at a press conference last week.
The commissioning of Vikrant is the first time that India has operated two aircraft carriers with modern technology – similar long-range radars, identical fighters, sensors and related aircraft systems.
India began operating its first aircraft carrier in 1961. HMS Hercules used in the UK was renamed INS Vikrant. It played a major role in the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War on the Eastern Front before being decommissioned in 1997.
The second Indian aircraft carrier HMS Hermes, also second-hand from the UK, was renamed INS Viraat. It entered service in 1987 and was decommissioned in 2017. In November 2103, Admiral Gorshkov was refitted and partially converted to an aircraft carrier to Indian specifications and renamed INS Vikramaditya. The two British-born airlines operated together from 1987 to 1997, but both operated together for over 35 years. From 2013 to 2017, India again had two aircraft carriers. However, by that time the Viraat’s life cycle had been extended.
The commissioning of the Vikrant comes at a time when India and China are looking to expand their naval power. China has two aircraft carriers, Liaoning and Shandong. Another Fujian was launched in July and is expected to be operational by 2025.
A US Department of Defense report warned that “the People’s Republic of China continues to build a carrier force.” It says that by 2030 it is planned to create six airlines.
Asian countries seek to project power to the sea. The Japanese have JS Izumo that can fly fighter jets. He is adding JS Kaga, and South Korea plans to launch a large amphibious warship by 2030.
Over 500 Indian companies and 100 MSMEs have contributed to the implementation of Vikrant. Main products on board: Ambala, Jalandhar, Bangalore, Coimbatore, Daman and Diu, Hyderabad, Howra, Indore, Kutch, Kota, Kanpur, New Delhi, Pana Industries in Kyrgyzstan, Pune, Trivandrum, Silvassa, Visakhapatnam.
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Post time: Sep-06-2022