- INS Vikrant was India's first aircraft carrier, bought from UK and commissioned in 1961.
- It played an important role in several military operations - including 1971 war with Pakistan - before being decommissioned in 1997.
- ‘Vi’ word denotes something that is distinctive or extraordinary, and ‘krant’ means to move or advance in a direction.
- Vikrant is the largest warship ever been built in the maritime history of India.
- It is also the first indigenously designed and built aircraft carrier for Indian Navy.
- It is designed by Indian Navy's in-house Warship Design Bureau (WDB) and built by Cochin Shipyard Limited, a Public Sector Shipyard under Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways.
- The only operational aircraft carrier with Indian Navy at present is INS Vikramaditya, which had served in erstwhile Soviet and, thereafter, Russian navy as Admiral Gorshkov before being inducted by India in 2013.
- Uses Short Take Off But Assisted Recovery (STOBAR) aircraft-operation mode that uses a ski-jump for launching aircrafts.
- It can accommodate 30 aircraft on board.
Significance of an aircraft carrier
- Self-Reliance: The new aircraft carrier provides a significant boost to self reliance campaign in defense manufacturing.
- Enhance capability: Such warships enhance the Navy’s capability to travel far and carry out domination operations including Air Interdiction, Anti-Surface Warfare etc.
- It gives the Indian Navy extraordinary reach from its coastline.
- Increased strength: The commissioning of INS Vikrant adds India's name to a small group of
nations with the ability to manufacture elite naval asset and project India’s power overseas.
- Net Security provider: It is important amid India’s bid to be a net security provider in the Indian Ocean region where it faces China, whose navy, too, is heavily focusing on aircraft carriers and has already inducted two vessels.
- Deterrence: Aircraft carriers act as a deterrent and will boost India’s defence as well as attack in a conventional war against enemies, especially in wake of rising China’s presence in IOR through its String of Pearls Policy.