Indian PM commissions first home-built carrier
STORY: Designed by the Indian Navy, the carrier is the largest warship to be built in the country, able to accommodate a crew of around 1,600 and operate a fleet of 30 aircraft, including fighter jets and helicopters.
More than 75% of the ship's components are indigenously procured, with half a dozen major industrial firms and over 100 smaller businesses providing equipment and machinery, according to India's defense ministry.
With the Vikrant's entry, India can deploy an aircraft carrier on both its eastern and western seaboards and expand its maritime presence, although the Indian navy still lags behind key regional rival, China.
The INS Vikrant however will not have its own fleet of fighter jets on deck and instead will rely on a few Russian-designed aircraft borrowed from India's only other carrier, the INS Vikramaditya.
India has an estimated 40 Russian-made MiG-29Ks which mainly operate on the Vikramaditya - a repurposed Russian vessel. Some of those fighters will now be brought onto the Vikrant.
