INS Vikrant finishes sea trials, to be delivered to navy soon

INS Vikrant will complement the INS Vikramaditya, currently the navy's lone carrier, which was acquired from Russia in 2013

India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC-1), INS Vikrant, successfully completed the fourth and final phase of sea trials, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on Sunday.

During this outing, the navy carried out integrated trials of most of the equipment and systems onboard the 44,000-tonne carrier, including critical Aviation Facilities Complex equipment, which controls the operations of aircraft from the aircraft carrier. 

“The ship’s delivery is being targeted in end-July 22, followed by commissioning of [INS Vikrant] in August 22 to commemorate ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav,’” the MoD stated.

INS Vikrant will complement the INS Vikramaditya, currently the navy’s lone