INS Vikrant, the first made-in-India Aircraft Carrier worth nearly $3.5 billion is on for its maiden trial

India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant has begun its sea trials today and is set to be commissioned into the Eastern Naval Command by August 2022. This much-awaited maiden trial into the Arabian Sea will go on for four days. It started with 1,500 officials, including officers and sailors on board.

This project is worth ₹24,000 crore (about $3.5 billion), originally targeted for commissioning in 2018, and was delayed due to the pandemic.

The length of the ship is 262 m, while its beam is 62 m and has a depth of 25.6 m. It is the largest and most complex warship ever to be designed and built-in India. Vikrant is also known as the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier 1, or IAC-1.


India currently has one aircraft carrier, INS Vikramaditya, inducted from Russia in 2013.

Constructed by the Cochin Shipyard Limited for the Indian Navy, this became the first aircraft carrier to be built in the country. The basic trials were completed in December 2020.

Vikrant will start to operate with approximately 24 Russian-built MiG-29K fighter jets



Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has already said that Vikrant, expected to be commissioned into service next year, will add superior combat capability, range, and versatility to the Navy. He also added that this will be a tribute to 75 years of India’s Independence.

A tweet from Spokesperson navy mentioned that this is a ‘Proud and Historical Day’ moment for India


Work on the ship's design began in 1999, and the keel was laid in February 2009. The carrier was floated out of its dry dock on December 29, 2011, and was launched on August 12, 2013.

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