India's first indigenous aircraft carrier to be commissioned in September 2022
The Deccan Herald newspaper on November 28 quoted sources from the Indian Ministry of Defense as saying that the country's Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) has just agreed in principle to the project to build the second domestic aircraft carrier.
The DAC, currently headed by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, is expected to approve the investment in this 400 billion rupee (116,420 billion VND) project on December 1.
According to the design, the new aircraft carrier is 284 m long and about 60 m high, equivalent to a 20-story building. The ship will have a total of 22 decks with the ability to carry 30 aircraft including the MiG 29 K, Kamov 31 and Kamov 28 models.
The ship is designed to have a displacement of 45,000 tons. Last year, India commissioned its first indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, built by Cochin Shipyard. The country also has a Russian-built aircraft carrier.
According to The Economic Times , the force of three aircraft carriers will help the Indian Navy demonstrate its strength in the Indian Ocean, in the context of increasing geostrategic competition in this sea area.
In addition, a larger fleet helps India project influence in more distant waters. Representatives of the Indian Ministry of Defense and the Indian Navy did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
India plans to have 160 warships by 2030 and 175 by 2035 at an estimated cost of Rs 2,000 crore. More than 60 ships are currently under construction for the navy.
India has also upgraded its runways in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to allow aircraft to land at night, in an effort to better monitor the Malacca, Sunda and Lombok straits in the southern Indian Ocean.
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