Indigenous Aircraft Carrier INS Vikrant Likely To Go For Basin Trials Next Year; Delivery To Navy By 2021

Work on the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC)-1, INS Vikrant is moving as per schedule and it is likely to go for basin trials in February-March next year, reports Economic Times.

Vice Admiral A K Saxena, controller of Warship Production and Acquisition, said “the gas turbines are expected to start in the third quarter of this year.”

In a seminar organised by FICCI on 'Nation Building Through Shipbuilding' Admiral Saxena said, "IAC-1 is presently moving at a very, very brisk pace and the plans are to go in for basin trials sometime in February-March next year and sea Sea trials and ultimately culminate in to delivery of the ship sometime in early 2021.”

"While India has developed a national capability to design and build world-class warships and submarines, we need to design and build our strengths in merchant marine with vessels for inland waterways, coastal ships and specialised merchant ships in the long run," the vice admiral said.

Basin trial is an important phase before sea trials, with the ship machineries and equipment being tested in floating conditions.

Flight trials are to start immediately after the sea trials with the carrier’s STOBAR landing configuration. The fighters to be operated from its flight deck, however, have not been confirmed as of now. MiG-29K fighters and Rafale M (Naval variant) are being considered along with McDonnell Douglas FA-18 Super Hornet.