INS Vikrant is inside the India’s recently commissioned aircraft carrier

• At a ceremony in the southern state of Kerala, India officially commissioned Vikrant, it’s first aircraft carrier to be built domestically.
• The 45,000-ton Vikrant received the prefix INS (Indian Naval Ship) at a formal commissioning ceremony on Friday morning, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi was present for.
• The 262m (860ft) long and nearly 60m (197ft) towering vessel is the first aircraft carrier that India independently designed and constructed.

At a ceremony in the southern state of Kerala, India officially commissioned Vikrant, its first aircraft carrier to be built domestically. Jugal Purohit of the BBC visited the ship before it was commissioned into the Indian navy.

The 45,000-ton Vikrant received the prefix INS (Indian Naval Ship) at a formal commissioning ceremony on Friday morning, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi was present for. It took 13 years to get to this point.

The 262m (860ft) long and nearly 60m (197ft) towering vessel is the first aircraft carrier that India independently designed and constructed. It has room for 30 fighter aircraft and helicopters.

More than 30 aircraft may be transported on India’s other aircraft carrier, the INS Vikramaditya. The HMS Queen Elizabeth of the UK Royal Navy can store roughly 40 aircraft, while the Nimitz class carriers of the US Navy can hold more than 60.

Vikrant, which cost about 200 billion rupees ($2.5 billion; £2.1 billion), was supposed to join the navy in 2017. However, delays plagued the second stage of its construction.

The commissioning of the ship is still a significant event for India because it allows it to join the small number of nations that can construct such a ship. Additionally, it provides a boost for Mr. Modi’s aspirations to increase domestic defence manufacturing.

The name “Vikrant,” which translates to “courageous,” is particularly noteworthy since it was used for India’s first aircraft carrier, which was purchased from the UK and put into service in 1961. Before being decommissioned in 1997, the first INS Vikrant served as a significant military operation, including the war of 1971, and was a significant symbol of national pride.

Following its commissioning on Friday, the new Vikrant will go across Indian and foreign waterways while being protected by a squadron of frigates, destroyers, and submarines.

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