1. Cochin shipyard to float out Vikrant on
August 12
The State-owned Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) will use a pontoon-assisted method, designed
in-house, to float out India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC-I)— to be named INS Vikrant
— on August 12, four years after its keel was laid.
“Additional pontoons have been welded to the underwater hull of the IAC, which will increase the
buoyancy of the vessel and overcome the limitation on the launching weight,” said a CSL
spokesperson.
The launch marks the end of the first phase of carrier construction with nearly 75 per cent of the
vessel structure, including the ski-jump and most underwater equipment in place. It will be
redocked again for completion of superstructure and extensive outfitting, slated to be attained by
2016. The revised schedule for induction of the home-made carrier into the Navy is 2018, four
years later than planned.
As the carrier construction advances, the CSL is contemplating reviving its old plan to build a
high-definition dry-dock for repair of jack-up rigs and semi-submersibles, and with the express
purpose of staking claim to build larger aircraft carriers. This comes in the wake of the Navy’s
decision to go for a follow-on IAC, which at 60,000 tonnes will be bigger in dimensions.
While the 263-metre-long IAC-I has a breadth of 60 metres, ships of much higher dimensions
cannot be built on the existing dry-dock of the CSL.
The yard, however, thinks the experience gained from constructing the first carrier will stand it in
good stead to bag the order for a future fleet air defence platform.
A top naval officer termed the launch a ‘milestone’ for the CSL and the Navy.
“Carrier building is a hugely complex endeavour and there are bound to be delays, given that the
country doesn’t have a full-blown ancillary industry,” he said about the timeline slippages caused
by delayed delivery of equipment.
However, the IAC-I was instrumental in the country clinching some cutting-edge technologies in
warship construction, such as the development of carrier-grade steel (DMR 249 A and B) jointly
done by the DRDO and the Steel Authority of India.
Despite hiccups, Indian company Elecon Engineering Ltd was able to manufacture gearboxes for
the carrier, giving a leg-up to the Navy’s quest for equipment indigenisation.
The yard, on its part, developed the weld processes and consumables for the special-grade steel
jointly with the National Metallurgical Laboratory.
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2. The Vikrant is 17,500 tonnes at the time of its launch.
Once complete, it will displace 38,000 tonnes and will have a complement of MiG-29 K and LCA
Navy aircraft (when ready) besides Ka-31 helicopters. It will have missile defence and an
integrated combat management system.
The CSL spokesperson said that the company’s 130-strong design department comprising
mechanical, electrical, instrumentation engineers and naval architects is capable of designing the
most sophisticated vessels in the world.
“The entire detailed design of the carrier was done on advanced software, which has resulted in
better ergonomics, aesthetics and more efficient layout,” she said.
A senior naval officer associated with warship production commended the CSL on its
workmanship and the ‘high accuracy’ of (modular) construction of the carrier, key to its optimal
performance.
The yard spokesperson said the CSL invested heavily in infrastructure to be able to build the
carrier and to match the best in the industry.
It exported 40 vessels in the last decade and is currently building three offshore support ships for
international owners and 20 fast patrol vessels for the Coast Guard besides a buoy tender vessel
for the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships.
The refits of the only operational carrier of the Navy, INS Viraat, have also been done at the CSL.
It will be India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier