Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) ‘Vikrant’ designed by Indian Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design(DND) and built at Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), has successfully passed the Basin trials. IAC P71 is now headed for sea trials.
Basin trial includes testing the propulsion system alongside upto full power with extra hawsers secured on the jetty which also means the auxiliary machinery also gets tested.
As per the Indian navy release, “Most of the ship construction activities have been completed and the ship has entered the trials phase. Readiness of the ship’s Propulsion and Power Generation equipment/ systems was tested in harbour as part of Basin Trials on Nov 20… Onboard IAC, extensive trials of all four LM2500 Gas Turbines, Main Gear Boxes, Shafting and Controllable Pitch Propellers, along with their integrated control systems, were carried out during these trials. In addition, major auxiliary equipment and systems such as Steering Gear, Air Conditioning Plants, Compressors, Centrifuges, all 60 critical Pumps, Firemain system, Power Generation and Distribution system, major Machinery Fire-Fighting and De-flooding systems, all Deck Machinery as well as entire internal communication equipment were also proved during the Harbour trials phase.”
The Indigenous Aircraft Carrier is 262 m long, 62 m at the widest part and height of 59 m including the superstructure. There are 14 decks in all, including five in the superstructure. The ship has over 2,300 compartments, designed for a crew of around 1700 people, including specialised cabins to accommodate women officers. The ship has been designed with a very high degree of automation for machinery operation, ship navigation and survivability, ‘Vikrant’ has a top speed of around 28 knots and cruising speed of 18 knots with an endurance of about 7,500 nautical miles. The ship can accommodate an assortment of fixed wing and rotary.
IAC has more than 76% indigenous content. This is the maiden attempt of the Indian Navy and Cochin Shipyard to indigenously design and build an Aircraft Carrier and was laid down during the tenure of Dr Manmohan Singh’s tenure as the Prime Minister. The Indian content includes raw material such as 23000 Tons Steel, 2500 Kilometers of Electrical Cables, 150 kilometers of Pipes and 2000 Valves as well as finished products such as Anchor Capstans, Rigid Hull Boats and LCVPs, Galley equipment, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Plants, Steering Gear, RO Plants, Main Switchboards, Energy Distribution Centres, more than 150 Pumps and Motors, AK 630 Guns, Chaff Launchers,Internal and External Communication Equipment, all Network Systems including Ship Data Network, Integrated Platform Management System and Combat Management System. Further, over 50 Indian manufacturers have been directly involved in this project which has provided significant employment opportunities for our citizens. Close to 2000 Indians received direct employment onboard IAC on a daily basis and over 40,000 received indirect employment. In addition, about 80-85% of the project cost of approximately Rs.20,000/- Crores has been ploughed back into the Indian Economy.