In a boost to “Atamanirbhar Bharat”, Indian Naval pilots on Monday performed the landing and takeoff of LCA Tejas (Navy) and Mig-29K onboard the aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant. It is for the first time that fighter jets have operated from INS Vikrant.
“The successful landing and take off of the indigenous LCA Navy on India’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier is a momentous step forward towards the realisation of our collective vision of AatmaNirbharBharat. The maiden landing of the Mig-29K also heralds the integration of the fighter aircraft with INS Vikrant. Congratulations to all those who made it happen,” Adm R Hari Kumar, Chief of the Naval Staff said.
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Notably, INS Vikrant is the first indigenous aircraft carrier and the most complex warship ever built by our country. The aircraft carrier was designed in-house by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau and constructed by Cochin Shipyard Limited.
INS Vikrant had sailed for maiden Sea Trials on August 4, 2021. Since then, the aircraft carrier has undergone sea sorties for trials of main propulsion, power generation equipment, fire fighting systems, aviation facility complex equipment, etc. The aircraft carrier was commissioned into the Indian Navy on September 2, 2022, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“The construction of the Carrier is a big boost to the ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat’ vision of the Government of India. The Carrier has been undertaking extensive Air Operations with Rotary Wing and Fixed Wing aircraft since 13 Dec 22 towards Air Certification and Flight Integration Trials for achieving the ultimate aim of being ‘Combat Ready’. As part of the aviation trials, landing of LCA (Navy) and MiG-29K onboard INS Vikrant was carried out on 06 Feb 23 by Indian Naval Test Pilots,” the Defence Ministry said
“The landing of LCA(Navy) on deck has demonstrated ‘AatmaNirbharta’ in India’s capability to design, develop, construct and operate indigenous Aircraft Carrier with indigenous Fighter Aircraft. It is indeed a landmark achievement being the first time that trials of a prototype aircraft – indigenously designed & produced by Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) & Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), has been successfully undertaken on an indigenous Aircraft Carrier,” the ministry added.
Further, the landing of MiG-29K aircraft onboard INS Vikrant is also a significant achievement as it marks the successful integration of the aircraft with the indigenous carrier and further enhances the combat readiness of the Navy.
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