India officially claims to be one of the elite countries with the most powerful navy after the official launch aircraft carrier first national production INS VikrantFriday (2/9)
During the launch which took place at a shipyard in the state of Kerala, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the 37,500 tonne carrier had given India new “confidence”.
“The goal can be difficult. The challenge can be great. But when India is determined, no goal is impossible,” Modi said before inspecting the carrier and unfurling the new navy flag. Indian.
“So far, this type of aircraft carrier has only been produced by developed countries. Today, India has entered the league [elite angkatan laut] and take a step towards becoming a developed country,” Modi said.
As reported CNNVikrant’s existence officially places India among the few developed countries that have more than one aircraft carrier or helicopter carrier.
Moreover, India’s ownership of INS Vikrant also makes India the third country to have placed domestically manufactured aircraft carriers in the past three years.
Two countries that have already deployed their aircraft carriers in recent years are Britain and China.
John Bradford, an observer from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said the inauguration of the INS Vikrant ship was a form of India’s commitment to achieving its vision of having a world-class navy. .
“Many questions hang over the survivability of any submarine in the missile age, but most navies, including those of the United States, Japan, China and Britain, double their investments in aircraft carriers,” Bradford said.
“In this context, India is entering the race,” he said.
Meanwhile, a former Indian military official and defense analyst Ajai Shukla said India was giving a message as soon as the carrier was launched.
“India is sending the message that it has power, it has aircraft carriers and air power to dominate the long stretches of the Indian Ocean,” he said.
In the meantime, this Indian aircraft carrier is envisaged to allow New Delhi to play a more important role in the military exercise Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad). The alliance is an informal alliance made up of the United States, Japan, Australia and India.
On the other hand, the tension between China and India is also quite high given that Beijing sees New Delhi as the main naval competitor in the region.
The Indian Navy itself started using aircraft carriers since 1961. The ship was called Vikrant and was retired in 1997.
India also briefly owned the aircraft carrier INS Viraat, which served the Indian Navy for 30 years before being “retired” in 2017.
The latest INS Vikrant can carry 30 combat aircraft, including MiG-29K, Kamov-31, MH-60R helicopters and several other aircraft. If calculated, this ship is capable of carrying almost 45,000 tons.
INS Vikrant has a maximum speed of 28 knots and a range of 7,500 miles. Once operational, the ship will have 160 officers and 1,400 crew, according to reports New Indian Express.
A number of Indian media glorify this ship. a medium, WIONeven said that China would be cornered by the presence of INS Vikrant.
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