Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday visited the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) ‘Vikrant’ under advanced stage of construction at Cochin Shipyard Ltd at Kochi and took stock of the progress of construction, which is likely to be commissioned in August 2022.
The IAC Vikrant would provide the requisite flexibility, mobility, reach and combat power in pursuance of our national interests and also serve as a strong catalyst for peace and stability in the Indian Ocean Region, said a senior officer of the Defence Ministry.
The Aircraft Carrier also holds a position of strategic and technological eminence, and is rightly considered the pinnacle in the domain of warship design and construction, he said. With the construction of Indigenous Aircraft Carrier, India would enter into a select band of countries having niche indigenous capability for designing and building of an Aircraft Carrier, the Ministry claimed.
The Indian shipbuilding industry has come a long way since the 1960s with the IAC Vikrant being the hallmark of India’s indigenous industrial capability. The indigenous content in construction of IAC is close to 76 per cent of overall project cost of Rs 19341 crore, the Ministry said.
The ship has a large number of indigenous materials such as steel, besides other equipment and systems manufactured by Indian industrial houses and about 100 MSMEs. The indigenous construction of the carrier has generated employment opportunities not only within the shipyard but also for many other industries supporting the project externally, the Ministry said.
This has resulted in a “plough back” effect on the domestic economy. Close to 2000 shipyards and 13000 non-yard personnel have been employed per annum towards construction of IAC.