INS Vikrant to elevate India’s status as maritime power

KOCHI: India’s new aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, will elevate the country’s status as a maritime power, boost the navy’s sea control and power projection capabilities, and help the navy fulfil its growing responsibilities in the Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific regions, officials tracking the navy’s moderisation said on Friday.

The warship, India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, will also allow the navy to counter China’s steadily increasing naval capabilities and check People’s Liberation Army-Navy’s (PLAN) ambitions in the Indian Ocean region, said one of the officials cited above, asking not to be named.

INS Vikrant’s integral air power is formidable and the aircraft carrier significantly enhances the navy’s capability to conduct missions in the far seas, said a second official.