On June 25, India’s sole aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya came out of a 18 month major refit at INS Karwar and proceeded to the port anchorage after firing its steam turbine engines. The aircraft carrier is expected to sail into high seas for a series of tests and trials before MiG-29K fighters are landed onboard the floating airfield. India’s second aircraft carrier named INS Vikrant will be commissioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Cochin harbour on August 15, 2022—the 75th Independence Day.
The INS Vikramaditya came out of refit days after Chinese third aircraft carrier Fujian was launched from Jiangnan shipyard and is in the process of being fitted out. The steam powered 80,000-ton aircraft carrier is said to rival the 100,000 ton nuclear powered USS Gerald R Ford super aircraft carrier, which was commissioned in 2017.
While Fujian is touted to take on the US military power in the coming decade in the Indo-Pacific, serving Indian Navy Admirals are posing some fundamental questions on the operability of the Chinese carrier, which is said to be equipped with state of the art electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) and Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) technology. As of now, only USS Gerald Ford is equipped with this advanced technology, which allows for faster take-offs and landings of fighter aircraft onboard the carrier.
