KOCHI: Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) ‘Vikrant’ on Sunday successfully completed its maiden sea voyage for which she had sailed on Wednesday from Kochi. “Trials progressed as planned and system parameters proved satisfactory. The carrier would continue to undergo series of sea trials to prove all equipment and systems before handing over the vessel to the Indian Navy,” an official statement by the Southern Naval Command said here.
Trials were reviewed by Vice Admiral A K Chawla, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Naval Command, on the last day, and have progressed as planned and system parameters have been proved satisfactory. “The completion of maiden trials sorties, despite challenges faced due to pandemic and protocols in place is testimony to the dedicated efforts of large number of stakeholders for over a decade,” it said.
Indigenous Aircraft Carrier ‘Vikrant’ designed by the Indian Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design (DND) was built at the Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), a public sector shipyard under the Ministry of Shipping. Madhu S Nair, the chairman and managing director of CSL said the maiden sea trial will be a ‘mammoth confidence booster’ to the entire team.
Well-built carrier
The Indigenous Aircraft Carrier is 262 m long, 62 m at the widest part and a 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