After 17 years of construction and testing, Modi commissioned the INS Vikrant – India’s second-largest Navy-operated aircraft carrier and largest warship ever – at the state-run shipyard in the south, Reuters reports.
“Today, India has joined those countries in the world that can manufacture such a huge aircraft carrier using indigenous technology,” Modi said. “It is a symbol of indigenous potential, local resources, and indigenous skills.”
Designed to accommodate a crew of about 1,600 and a fleet of 30 aircraft, the Vikrant will be based on a Russian-designed MIG-29K aircraft already in service from another Indian carrier, INS Vikramaditya, which India purchased from Russia.
Boeing and France’s Dassault are seeking to supply India with more than two dozen aircraft for Vikrant.
India is one of the world’s largest arms importers, spending $12.4 billion between 2018 and 2021, but it is seeking to develop its own manufacturing capabilities as a major supplier Russia is at war in Ukraine and faces sanctions.
India has identified about 8,000 imported defense components worth about 82 trillion rupees ($1.03 trillion) in 2022-23 it wants its companies to manufacture, according to the Defense Ministry.
India employs 1.38 million people in its armed forces, with large numbers spread out over the borders with nuclear rivals China and Pakistan.
“India is working with all its might to become self-reliant,” Modi said, referring to the home-made Tejas light combat aircraft and artillery.
Vikrant will add significantly to India’s naval capabilities, allowing the Navy to operate an aircraft carrier on each coast, along with its 10 destroyers, 12 frigates and 20 cruisers.
China, which also has two operational carriers and operates a third, has a much larger fleet of 335 ships, including about 48 destroyers, 43 frigates, and 61 cruisers.
“Security concerns in the Indo-Pacific and Indian Ocean region have long been ignored,” Modi said. But this region is today a major defense priority for our country. ”