A Indian Navy (IN) On Monday (06), tests began with fighter jets aboard its new aircraft carrier, the INS Vikrant (R11), the first ship of its kind built in the country. MiG-29K Fulcrum fighter aircraft and the naval LCA Tejas landed on the vessel.
With the landings and takeoffs, IN begins a series of tests to prove the Vikrant's capabilities to operate planes. In recent months, the ship has also received tests with helicopters, anticipating evaluations with fixed-wing models.
Tejas Naval had previously operated from INS Vikramaditya, an older aircraft carrier acquired from Russia. However, yesterday's tests mark the first time that an Indian-developed and manufactured aircraft has conducted full procedures on an Indian-designed and built aircraft carrier. “LCA Naval’s landing aboard INS Vikrant demonstrates India’s ability to design, develop, build and operate a domestic aircraft carrier with domestic fighter aircraft”, said the Indian Navy. The NP2 aircraft (second prototype of the naval version of the LCA) landed and took off from the R11 under the command of Commodore Shivnath Dahiya.
After the Indian jet, it was the turn of the MiG-29K Fulcrum-D to touch the ship's deck. Although Tejas Naval has operated on the aircraft carrier, India is unlikely to go ahead with the development of this variant as it is investing in the Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter (TEDBF) project, a 5th generation naval fighter. In this way, the MiG-29 will be the first combat aircraft operated, in fact, in the Vikrant, possibly alongside the future Dassault Rafale M.
MiG-29K also lands on Vikrant today – this will be the primary aircraft deployed on the carrier until, presumably, the Rafale-M is acquired. pic.twitter.com/8AtqVS0vWu
- Vishnu Som (@VishnuNDTV) February 6, 2023
In addition to evaluating its new aircraft carrier, the Navy also conducts the Multirole Carrier Borne Fighter (MRCBF) program, which seeks an interim vector between the MiG-29 and the TEDBF, its definitive replacement. Forty-five MiG-29K/KUB have been acquired by the Indians, but the Russian model has had reliability and availability issues, especially with its engines. For the MRCBF, India evaluated the Rafale and the F/A-18 Super Hornet, initially defining the French model as the winner. Now, New Delhi must sign a contract for 20 to 30 new fighters.
The aircraft carrier Vikrant had its hull launched in 2013 and taken to sea for the first time in 2015. Its construction was completed in 2021, the same year in which sea trials began. The name Vikrant means "brave" in Sanskrit and is a tribute to the first Indian aircraft carrier, operated from 1961 to 1997
Watch the maiden landing of MiG-29K onboard the #IndigenousAircraftCarrier#INSVikrant.#IndianNavy #CombatReady#AatmaNirbharBharat@DefenceMinIndia @SpokespersonMoD @IN_R11Vikrant @IN_WNC @IN_GNA @cslcochin https://t.co/k8MA0Etgjk pic.twitter.com/lU7YrFDxiI
- SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) February 7, 2023
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The ship has a displacement of 45 tons and is 262 meters long, and can carry up to 40 aircraft, including Mikoyan MiG-29K Fulcrum-D fighters and Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk and Kamov Ka-31 Helix helicopters. The crew consists of 1645 military personnel. Like its predecessor, the aircraft carrier Vikrant uses the STOBAR (Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery) method, where planes use a ramp to take off, but land with the aid of steel cables.
Despite being simpler and cheaper than CATOBAR, which uses catapults, STOBAR limits the weight of aircraft it can launch. In addition to aircraft, the new Indian aircraft carrier has two Barak 8 anti-aircraft missile launchers, each with 35 missiles; four 630 mm AK-30 point defense systems and four 76 mm Otobreda naval guns.
While testing the Vikrant, India is also developing a new domestic aircraft carrier, the IAC-2, which should have a displacement of around 65 tons, as opposed to the 45 tons of the R11. The IAC-2 will also be equipped with catapults, allowing the use of fighters with their full payload, as well as heavier aircraft. The new aircraft carrier should be completed within the next decade.
