In an exclusive interview to The Eurasia Times, Indian Navy (IN) Chief Admiral R. Hari Kumar said, “as a Blue-water force, considering the vast area of operations, operational philosophy centered on sea control and growing threat in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), the Indian Navy has a requirement of three operational aircraft carriers.
This is also important for sustaining our Maritime Dominance in all three geographical expanses of the IOR. The requirement of a third Aircraft Carrier for the Indian Navy has also been acknowledged by the Standing Committee on Defence.
‘INS Vikrant stands testimony to our nation’s efforts towards complete indigenization of our Armed Forces. With this, India has become part of the elite group of Nations possessing the niche capability to indigenously design and build an Aircraft Carrier.
The Carrier Battle Group (CBG), of which the Aircraft Carrier is the central entity, is a means of projecting maritime power at sea and from the sea.
It is a self-contained and composite force capable of undertaking an entire range of tasks that no other platform/shore-based aircraft can undertake. The CBG is capable of providing “persistent air power” in a region at extremely short notice and has the inherent flexibility and mobility to shift to a new theatre of operations in 48 to 72 hours.
“Further, while the requirement for a Third Carrier is being actively considered by the Govt, the Navy is already ‘underway’ in bringing the nascent imperatives to the drawing board. “.
On the Indian Navy’s ‘capacity’ and ‘capabilities’ with reference to the dimensions such as surface, subsurface, aerospace, and cyber on the one hand and spheres such as ‘brown water’ and ‘blue water’ on the other, Admiral Kumar said, “IN platforms, by their role, are primarily categorized as Bluewater and Brown water platforms.
