Image source: topwar.ru
While the aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy INS Vikramaditya is preparing to leave the shipyard after a long repair, the command of the Indian Navy is considering ordering another aircraft carrier that would repeat the newly built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant.
Since Vikramaditya's service life will end in the foreseeable future, the new aircraft carrier is intended to be its replacement. Now the command of the Indian Navy is analyzing the needs of the fleet for a larger and more capable aircraft carrier.
- says the commander of the Indian Navy, Admiral R. Hari Kumar.
According to the commander-in-chief of the Indian Navy, the new aircraft carrier will be completely different, and work on its creation may begin in the very near future. As the admiral noted, new technologies are emerging, for which aircraft carriers should also be adapted. For example, an aircraft carrier should be able to launch a large number of unmanned aerial vehicles.
The planned aircraft carrier may exceed the size of INS Vikrant. Now the Indian Navy requires three aircraft carriers, given the specifics of their maintenance. Admiral Kumar noted that Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) has gained considerable experience in the construction of an aircraft carrier after the creation of INS Vikrant, and this experience should definitely be applied in the construction of a new aircraft carrier.
The re-order, according to Kumar, will be characterized by the introduction of the most modern technologies and the improvement of the capabilities of the aircraft carrier. Recall that in September 2022, the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant was commissioned. Now it is being tested, and it will be fully ready for combat use by the end of 2023.
