The construction of IAC-II with a displacement of 45,000 tonnes with the envisaged specifications, was strongly being pushed by the Indian Navy. Having a three-carrier battle group is important for the Indian Navy as a show of strength. The Navy has been pitching for three aircraft carriers to deal with China’s growing naval prowess and its growing influence over the Indian Ocean region.

The Navy currently has two aircraft carriers— the INS Vikramaditya (formerly the Russian Admiral Gorshkov) and the INS Vikrant, which was indigenously made. But keeping in mind the Chinese pressure in the Indian Ocean Region, the Navy is looking at a larger force. Three carriers also ensure that the Navy has two carriers at all times — one for the Arabian Sea and the other for the Bay of Bengal.

An enlarged fleet also gives India the flexibility to exert influence in the faraway seas with its presence.

Indigenous Aircraft Carrier-I

INS Vikrant (IAC I), India’s first indigenously-built aircraft carrier was commissioned in September 2023 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Built at a cost of around Rs 23,000 crore, INS Vikrant has a sophisticated air defence network and anti-ship missile systems. It has the capacity to hold 30 fighter jets and helicopters. At the commissioning ceremony of the vessel, Modi called it a “floating city” and that it is a reflection of India becoming self-reliant in defence.

INS Vikrant displacing 44,800 tonnes is powered by four General Electric LM2500 engines which give it a maximum speed of 28 knots and an endurance of 7,500 nautical miles. The ship uses an aircraft-operation mode known as Short Take Off But Arrested Recovery (STOBAR) for which it is equipped with a ski-jump for launching aircraft, and a set of three ‘arrester wires’ for their recovery onboard.

In addition, the Navy also operates the 44,500-tonne carrier INS Vikramaditya, which also employs the STOBAR mechanism, procured from Russia under a $2.3-billion deal and inducted in November 2013.

Indigenous Aircraft Carrier-II

According to the sources, the IAC II will be kind of a repeat order of the IAC I. According to the plan, the IAC II will be built by state-run Cochin Shipyard. At present, India has two aircraft carriers — INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant. INS Vikramaditya is a Russian origin platform. The INS Vikrant has over 2,300 compartments, designed for a crew of around 1700 people, including specialised cabins to accommodate women officers. INS Vikrant has a top speed of around 28 knots and a cruising speed of 18 knots with an endurance of about 7,500 nautical miles.

Once the Cabinet clearance is accorded, the carrier will be with the Navy in 7-10 years.

The Navy had envisaged an IAC-2 with a displacement of 65,000 tonnes and a Catapult Assisted Take Off But Arrested Recovery (CATOBAR) system for launching aircraft as well as full-electric propulsion. However, a much bigger carrier with newer technologies would mean much higher cost and build time due to which the Navy has settled for a repeat of a Vikrant-sized carrier.

Three-Carrier Navy

For long the Navy has based its force structure centred around three carriers, The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence had noted that three aircraft carriers is an “unavoidable requirement” to meet any eventualities. It stated that taking into account the long coastline and hostile adversities on both sides of Indian peninsula, an aircraft carrier on both sides of coast is “quintessential” to uphold operational requirements.

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Admiral R Hari Kumar confirmed by saying, “Initially we will go for the repeat order with improved capabilities and in the meantime, we will go for study of larger carriers. Because the third aircraft which will come in and by the time it will be commissioned by that time the life of INS Vikramaditya may end.” He was speaking with the media on the sidelines of Aero India 2023.

The earlier plans, as per the Chief of Naval Staff were that “the IAC 2 should be bigger than IAC 1 in size. The size of INS Vikrant is 44,000 tonnes and we wanted the IAC2 to be around 65,000 tonnes.” The decision for the repeat order of IAC 1 is based on multiple factors including construction time, the cost involved and the trajectory of indigenization of the aviation assets also.

Admiral Hari Kumar said, “When we have to design a new aircraft carrier, it will take time and we have to bring new technologies because the present arresting, landing through catapult system is being changed now. For new design, the ship-building facility will have to be upgraded. So we thought if we went for the repeat order the work would start soon.”

“Operationally, new technologies and drones are coming in that can be launched from the carrier that can enhance operational capabilities.  The Indian Navy requires three aircraft carriers because the ship if it goes for maintenance, it takes time,” he added. Aircraft carriers are known to have lengthy maintenance schedules. The cycle of maintenance can lead to an absence of a carrier for years, as has been the case with the refit of India’s lone Aircraft Carrier INS Vikramaditya which started at the beginning of 2021 and still continues. It has been delayed due to a fire onboard in July.

With one aircraft carrier still under maintenance and one yet to be inducted, the Indian Navy will be operating without one for some more time. The Navy has been maintaining the three carriers-based force structure so that it can operate two of them in maritime zones on each side of the Indian coastline — eastern and western coasts. INS Vikramaditya was originally a Russian carrier — Admiral Gorshkov — was commissioned in 2013 after total refurbishing. The 44,500-tonne INS Vikramaditya has an airfield with an overall length of about 284 meters. As reported in December, the Navy completed all the documentation work on the repeat orders and it is expected that the approvals from the government will come soon. The new aircraft carrier is also expected to be of 45,000 displacements and STOBAR technology.  

As enunciated by the Navy Chief the timeline would match India’s push for self-reliance aim even to indigenise the aviation complex and it might match up with the production of the Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter (TEDBF). TEDBF is being designed for the Navy and officials of the HAL have been claiming it to be ready for commissioning by 2032. Even if a decision on the carrier is taken today, it will take over a year to begin the process of manufacturing, defence sources said.

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It is the first aircraft carrier to be built in India, and represents the country’s growing capabilities in naval shipbuilding. As a symbol of national pride and military power, the INS Vikrant is an important component of India’s strategic defence capabilities. The aircraft carrier will play a crucial role in India’s ability to project naval power and defend its interests in the Indian Ocean region. It will also be a major boost to the Indian Navy’s Blue Water capability.

Building an aircraft carrier is a highly complex and challenging task that involves several factors. Aircraft carriers are some of the largest and most complex ships ever built, requiring advanced engineering and design capabilities to ensure they can withstand the stresses of prolonged use at sea. Building an aircraft carrier requires advanced shipbuilding techniques, and the use of specialized materials such as steel and aluminum. The process also requires a large workforce and a significant investment in infrastructure.

An aircraft carrier must have a wide range of systems and equipment, including propulsion systems, navigation and communication systems, weapons systems, and aircraft launch and recovery systems, all of which must be integrated and tested to ensure they work together seamlessly.

Building an aircraft carrier is an extremely expensive endeavor that requires large investments in research and development as well as construction. The construction of an aircraft carrier is time-consuming process, it usually take years to complete.

There are several arguments in favor of having aircraft carriers as a part of a country’s naval fleet besides providing the ability to project naval power and influence over long distances, allowing for rapid deployment of military assets in response to global crises and emergencies.

Aircraft carriers provide the navy a blue water capability to operate far from home ports, allow for the deployment of fighter jets and other aircraft, which can provide air support to other naval vessels and ground troops, as well as conduct reconnaissance and strike missions. Along with their accompanying strike groups, aircraft carriers can be used to assert naval control over a specific area of the ocean, enabling a country to maintain sea lanes of communication and protect its own shipping.

Aircraft carriers can serve as powerful symbols of a country’s military strength and capabilities, and can be used to exert diplomatic pressure in international relations.

While aircraft carriers have many advantages, there are also several arguments against having them, the biggest of them being their vulnerability to attack from submarines, missiles, and other weapons. Their loss could be a significant blow to a country’s military capabilities. Aircraft carriers are also specialized platforms, designed for specific roles and missions. This can limit their flexibility and make them less adaptable to changing strategic situations.

The composition of a carrier strike group can vary depending on the specific mission. It may typically include escort ships to provide air and missile defence, submarines, supply ships, amphibious ships, aircraft, : The carrier carries a complement of aircraft, including fighters, bombers, and surveillance aircraft capable of conducting a wide range of missions, helicopters,  and support vessels.

Aircraft carriers are vulnerable to a variety of threats, including submarine-launched torpedoes, cruise missiles and special forces; land and sea-based missiles; mines; suicide attacks by terrorists and cyber attacks.

Protective measures inclrease the complexity of operating carrier groups. Escort ships, anti-submarine warfare measures, air defence systems, electronic warfare support measures, decoy systems, cyber defence measures, are all essential.

The design development and construction of an aircraft carrier requires some critical technologies.

Advanced materials such as high-strength steel and aluminum alloys, powerful propulsion systems, flight deck technologies, Air Traffic Control systems, catapults and launch systems, advanced modeling and simulation, are some of the essential technologies, which can become obsolete quickly, making them less effective over time and not able to keep up with the rapid changes in naval warfare technology.

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The development marks the culmination of a long journey – the carrier’s construction began in 2009.

“With the delivery of Vikrant, India has joined a select group of nations having the niche capability to design and build an aircraft carrier,” the navy statement read.
It has been built at a cost of around ₹20,000 crore and will significantly boost the country’s naval presence and its reach, navy officials said. The warship’s delivery comes in the backdrop of rigorous user acceptance trials carried out between August 2021 and July 2022.

Vikrant has put India in a select league — only the US, the UK, Russia, France and China have the capability to build aircraft carriers. The 262-metre-long carrier has a full displacement of 45,000 tonne. It has been named after aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, operated by the navy from 1961 to 1997.

It has an indigenous content of 76%. It is a “perfect example of the nation’s quest for Aatmanirbhar Bharat and provides thrust to the government’s Make in India initiative,” the navy said.

Describing Vikrant as a great national achievement, former navy chief Admiral Arun Prakash (retd) said the aircraft carrier will enhance the country’s power projection and sea control capabilities in the Indo-Pacific.

“Building it has taken much longer than it should have. But it’s a good learning experience. It will be meaningful only if we follow it up with a second indigenous aircraft carrier. Otherwise, the skill and expertise that we have acquired will die out, and it will be a huge national loss,” Prakash added.

It will operate an air wing consisting of 30 aircraft, including MiG-29K fighter jets, Kamov-31 choppers, MH-60R multi-role helicopters, advanced light helicopters and light combat aircraft (navy).

The fighters on board the aircraft carrier will use the ski-jump to takeoff and will be recovered by arrestor wires or STOBAR (short takeoff but arrested recovery) in navy parlance.

Vikrant is also expected to operate a new deck-based fighter that the navy is planning to buy — it has already tested Boeing’s F/A-18E Super Hornet and Dassault Aviation’s Rafale-M.The carrier was designed by the Indian Navy’s directorate of naval design. It has 14 decks, including five in the superstructure, 2,300 compartments, and can accommodate a crew of 1,700, including specialised cabins for women.

India currently operates a solitary aircraft carrier, INS Vikramaditya, bought second-hand from Russia for $2.33 billion, but the navy has been arguing it needs three such floating airfields given its vast area of interest.

Vikrant will be commissioned into the navy barely two months after China launched its third aircraft carrier, the first such designed and built entirely in that country. The launch of the new carrier called Fujian on June 17 came against the backdrop of China’s push for greater maritime influence in the far seas and as its warships attempt to leave their mark in Pacific and Indian Ocean regions.

A warship’s launch marks a significant milestone in its construction and refers to the vessel entering the water for the first time. China currently operates two aircraft carriers — CV-16 Liaoning and CV-17 Shandong.

Vikrant will be the fourth aircraft carrier to be operated by the Indian Navy, first Vikrant (British origin) from 1961 to 1997, INS Viraat (British origin) from 1987 to 2016 and INS Vikramaditya (Russian origin) 2013 onwards.

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The fourth and last phase of sea trials for the Vikrant has been successfully completed on Sunday. The warship conducted integrated trials of equipment and systems onboard including some of the aviation facilities on the board its deck.

The first trial was successfully completed in August last, followed up by second and third phases of trials in October 2021 and January 2022, respectively.

The warship’s endurance testing of propulsion machinery, electrical and electronic warfare suites, deck machinery, lifesaving appliances, navigation and communication systems have been tried out at sea.

The fighter jets that will operate from the deck of the carrier — are to be tested using the Russian MiG 29K jets—but after the warship is handed over to the Navy.

The 44,000 tonne ‘indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC) has been made at the state-owned Cochin shipyard at Kochi, Kerala.

The commissioning is happening in the backdrop of India-China race off to expand their Naval strength. China has two operational aircraft carriers – the Liaoning and the Shandong. Last month, it launched another one called the Fujian that would take some three years for commissioning.

A US department of Defence report: ‘Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China 2021’ warns “People’s Republic of China continues to build a multi-carrier force.” The plans are for six carriers by 2030.

India has one operational carrier, INS Vikramaditya, purchased from Russia and the upcoming Vikrant. The plan for the third carrier is, so far, not okayed by the government.

Besides India and China, Japan and South Korea are adding carriers to their fleets as the Asian countries race to project power at sea.

The Japanese have the JS Izumo, a 248 meter long warship which can fly fighter jets. It’s adding another one the JS Kaga.

South Korea has a plan to launch by 2030 a large-deck amphibious-warfare ship that could handle fighter aircraft from its deck.

The INS Vikrant is the largest and most complex warship ever to be designed and built in India. With this India joins a select group of nations having niche capability to indigenously design, build and integrate a state-of-the-art Aircraft Carrier.

US, UK, Russia, Italy, France, Japan and China have such capacities.

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Two Boeing-manufactured F/A-18s will conduct a series of operational demonstrations at the shore-based test facility (SBTF) in Goa, which has a ski-jump to resemble an aircraft carrier’s deck, in the third week of May.

France had similarly showcased its Rafale maritime fighter jets at the SBTF in January. The twin-engine Rafale-M and F/A-18 are in contention for India’s requirement for fighters to operate from the 40,000-tonne IAC, which is to be commissioned as INS Vikrant on August 15 after it finishes its extensive sea trials that are currently under way.

The Navy is “assessing the suitability and capability” of Rafale-M and F/A-18 to fulfil its requirements for at least 26-27 carrier-capable fighters, though the final number is still being worked out for what eventually will be a government-to-government deal.

The IAF has already inducted 35 of the 36 Rafales, contracted under the Rs 59,000 crore deal inked with France in September 2016, with a squadron each being deployed at Ambala and Hasimara.

The Navy in the past has rejected the naval version of the indigenous Tejas light combat aircraft, stressing that the single-engine fighter cannot optimally operate from a carrier as of now. The indigenous development of the twin-engine deck based fighter, in turn, will take at least a decade.

India currently has only one aircraft carrier, the 44,500-tonne INS Vikramaditya, inducted from Russia for $2.33 billion in November 2013. Another $2 billion was spent on procuring 45 supersonic MiG-29K fighters to operate from its deck, but their serviceability has proved a major problem over the years.

Though the IAC will be commissioned this year, it will become fully operational only after the requisite fighter and helicopter trials are completed from its deck by around mid-2023.

Aircraft carriers, which are capable of moving over 500 nautical miles in a single day, pack a formidable offensive punch with fighters and other aircraft as well as a wide array of weapons.

China, which now has the world’s largest Navy, is fast constructing two more aircraft carriers to add to its two existing ones. China eventually wants to have 10 carriers as “symbols of a great nation”. The US Navy, in turn, has 11 “super” 100,00-tonne nuclear-powered carriers, each of which carries 80-90 fighters and aircraft.

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