Indigenous Aircraft Carrier INS Vikrant heads out for next set of sea trials

The Indigenous Aircraft Carrier INS Vikrant is heading out for its next set of sea trials to undertake complex manoeuvres to establish specific readings of how the ship performs in various conditions.

New Delhi: The Indigenous Aircraft Carrier INS Vikrant is heading out for its next set of sea trials to undertake complex manoeuvres to establish specific readings of how the ship performs in various conditions. In addition, various sensor suites of the ship would also be tested. Scientists from the Naval Science and Technological Laboratory, a DRDO laboratory based at Visakhapatnam would also be embarked during the trials.

The INS Vikrant set out on its maiden sea trial in August last year to establish propulsion, navigational suite and basic operations. A second sea trial later in October-November witnessed the ship being put through its paces in terms of various machinery trials and flight trials. Various seamanship evolutions were also successfully cleared during the second sortie.

The President and Vice-President of India recently visited the INS Vikrant on separate occasions within a span of less than two weeks. Both dignitaries, having reviewed the progress had conveyed their satisfaction and expressed their best wishes to all the stakeholders involved in project.

On successful completion of a series of progressive sea trials, the ship is scheduled to be commissioned as INS Vikrant later this year, as the nation commemorates ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’.