Indian Aircraft Carriers: Past, Present And Their Future
Indian Aircraft Carriers: Past, Present And Their Future
The Navy commissioned India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC-1) INS Vikrant on September 2. With the motto “Jayema Sam Yudhi Sprdhah”, meaning ‘I defeat those who fight against me’, the engineering and technological marvel constructed by Cochin Shipyard Limited in Kerala is the elephant of the sea.
Aircraft carriers played a significant role during World War 2, at a time when the combat radius of aircraft was limited, they brought airplanes closer to the battlefield.
The British began experimenting with developing aircraft carriers, and during WW1 when the world became a battleground, the British Navy built the first aircraft carrier, HMS Argus, in 1918, though the Japanese were credited as the pioneers of building aircraft carriers and in 1941 they had 9 such vessels and were extensively used in many battles, for example, the attack on Pearl Harbour by Japanese fighters and bombers was launched from an aircraft carrier that obliterated the US in the Pacific.
India’s association with these platforms came in the 2nd half of the 20th Century when an incomplete British aircraft carrier was purchased in 1957 and was commissioned in the Indian Navy in 1961.
Let’s walk through India’s aircraft carriers, their past, and present, and what lies in the future for these giant naval vessels.
The Past
Independent India faced threats from Pakistan which was on its east and west. A nation with a long maritime border, an aircraft carrier became imperative for the country’s defence.
India purchased an incomplete aircraft carrier from the British. The construction of HMS Hercules began during World War 2 in 1939 but was left incomplete, India purchased the incomplete vessel in 1957 and it was formally commissioned in 1961 as India’s first aircraft carrier. It was rechristened as INS Vikrant.
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| Photo Credits: PIB |
The Majestic-class light carrier played a significant role in India’s victory to reshape the map of the world in 1971. The British navy intended to build aircraft carriers that would be an “intermediary” between full-sized fleet carriers and small-sized, this resulted in the Colossus and Majestic class light carriers that were smaller and more economical.
Vikrant displaced around 16,000 tons under standard load and around 24,000 tons under full load. It could deck 23 aircraft and a steam catapult system was used to help propel the plane. This carrier had a maximum speed of 25 knots and a maximum range of 12,000 nautical miles (around 22,000 km)
Armament is an important element of any naval vessel whether it’s a frigate, corvette, destroyer, or aircraft carrier. At different periods, the Vikrant aircraft fleet had Hawker Sea Hawk, STOVL Bae Sea Harrier fighters, Sea King Mk 42B, HAL Cheetah helicopter, and Br.1050 anti-submarine aircraft. The guns were mainly defensive, it was armed with 16x1.6 inch Bofors anti-aircraft gun. The air-search and surface-search radars added more power to Vikrant.
Vikrant sees action in 1971
In 1965, Pakistan launched an attempt to cut off Kashmir from the rest of India by first backing infiltration during Operation Gibraltar which failed miserably, and then again in September 1965, with Operation Grand Slam. INS Vikrant was undergoing refitting in 1965 and therefore it stayed out of operations.
It was also deployed during ‘Operation Vijay’ to liberate Goa from the Portuguese in 1961.
In 1971, the world was turning a blind eye to Pakistan’s atrocities on its citizens in the east and war became inevitable. INS Vikrant played a crucial role in defending India’s east coast, by 1971 it was able to operate an air wing as usual and many ground strikes and combat air patrol ops were carried with Hawker Sea Hawks and Br.1050 aircraft. Strikes continued on Khulna, Changla and Port of Mongla.
Vikrant underwent refitting twice in 1979-1981 and 1987-1989. This resulted in an updated propulsion system with new boilers, radar system, and anti-aircraft guns, though 16 Bofors were later reduced to eight. The newly acquired Bae Sea Harrier fighters and a “ski-jump” platform were later introduced. In 1984, Vikrant came with a new look with V/STOL (Vertical/ Short-take-off and landing)
It was refitted again in 1991 and 1992-1994. “The Lady of Khulna Fame” served the nation till 1997, and was later turned into a museum in 2001. It was auctioned in 2013 to get scrapped.
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| Photo Credits: Twitter/@nitingokhale |
INS Viraat
The flagship of the Indian Navy, INS Viraat, was a Centaur-Class aircraft carrier that had spent 30 glorious serving the country and 27 years serving the Royal Navy.
INS Viraat was commissioned into the Royal Navy in 1959 and served the British as ‘HMS Hermes’ for 27 years until it was decommissioned in 1984. It was sold to India and on May 12, 1987, it was commissioned into the Indian Navy and was named Viraat (Giant).
She was the Indian Navy’s flagship and it holds the Guinness World Record for being the longest-serving warship in the world. With a ski-jump platform, this giant floating airbase was the center of the Indian Navy and housed the fighter Sea Harriers INAS 300 squadron, also known as the “white tigers”, Indian Navy’s oldest fighter squadron which contributed during Operation Vijay to liberate Goa and during the 1971 War.
‘Mother’, as INS Viraat was remembered in the Navy, it carried anti-submarine aircraft Sea king Mk 42B - also known as “Harpoons”, Sea King Mk 42 C, and the SAR (Search and Rescue) helicopter Chetak as an integral part. The indigenous Advance Light Helicopters ‘Dhruv’ and the Russian twin-rotor Kamov-31 have also operated from the ship.
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| Photo Credits: PIB |
During her three-decade-long service, she sailed across 10,94,215 Km, implying that ‘Mother’ circumnavigated the globe 7 times. She played an important role during Indian peacekeeping operations in Sri Lanka in 1989 during Operation Jupiter and later during Operation Parakram in 2001-2002.
On March 6, 2017, the Naval Ensign and the Commissioning Penant were lowered onboard Viraat at sunset for the last time, thus bringing the legacy of this mighty carrier to an end. INS Viraat helped in the seamless induction of INS Vikramaditya and paved the way for India’s next aircraft carrier in 2022.
The Present
INS Vikramaditya (R-33)
After INS Viraat was decommissioned, Vikramaditya was the only operational aircraft carrier in the Indian Navy. INS Vikramaditya is a modified Kiev-class aircraft carrier that was commissioned in 2013.
The aircraft carrier was originally known as Baku and it served with the Soviet Union and later for the Russian Navy before being decommissioned in 1996.
This STOBAR (Short Take-off Barrier Arrested Recovery) carrier, displaces 44,500 tons with a speed of over 30 knots. With an overall length of 284 meters, the aircraft component includes the MiG29k fighters, Kamov 31, Kamov 28, Seaking, ALH, and Chetak.
INS Vikramaditya is known as the “floating city”, with over 1,600 personnel onboard and an operational range of 13,000 Km. The aircraft carrier has a 14-degree ski jump with its main strike platform; the Mig 29K fourth-generation modern fighters that were inducted into the Navy at INS Hansa in 2010 as ‘Air Dominance Fighters’
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| Photo Credits: PIB |
Armed with Kashtan Close-In-Weapon-System, 8 Barak air defense missiles, and surface-air missile launchers, the ‘floating city’ is lethal.
Indigenous Aircraft Carrier-1 (IAC -1)
The Return Of Vikrant
‘The Lady of Khulna Fame’ in her last signal said “I do hope Vikrant will be with you soon again”, Vikrant reincarnated after 25 years and came back as India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, an example of India’s advancement in defence technology and Atmanirbharta (self-reliance).
IAC-1 has over 70% indigenous components and was built at Cochin Shipyard Limited. This 262-meter-long and 45,000-tonne elephant in the sea was commissioned on September 2, 2022. The construction began in 2009 after receiving a go-ahead in 2003. The aircraft carrier was launched in 2013 and it underwent multiple basins, and sea trials before being finally inducted in 2022.
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| Photo Credits: PIB |
It is built on STOBAR aircraft carrier platform and is powered by 4 Gas Turbines with a speed of 28 knots.
Currently, the aircraft carrier would operate an air wing comprising 30 aircraft including the Mig 29k, Kamov 31, MH-60R multi-role helicopter, the ALH, and the Light Combat Helicopter (Navy). The Navy is looking at other fighter aircraft options for Vikrant with Dassault Rafale-M and Boeing’s F-A/18 Hornet as front runners in the race. The introduction of foreign fighters is expected to be limited given HAL’s canard delta wing Twin Engine Deck Based multirole combat aircraft and the LCA Tejas for the Indian Navy.
The Future
US Deputy National Security Advisor, Nadia Shadlow said, “the space between peace and war is not an empty space a landscape churning with political, economical, and military changes and thus it’s important to emphasize this period.” With China battling to emerge as a naval superpower, the relevance of aircraft carriers for India cannot be restricted to regional security and should be expanded to larger geo-political goals, like the security or dominance in the Indo-Pacific.
Indian Navy is looking to build a Vishal-class, modern, heavy, and probably nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. In 2015, India and US inaugurated the first meeting of the Joint Working Group for Aircraft Carrier Technology, with the intent to discuss the aspects of the development of such platforms.
Reports suggest that the Vishal-class carrier will displace over 65,000 tons, a modern requirement of aircraft carriers according to a US study. Operational aircraft carriers in India are built on the STOBAR platform, but INS Vishal will be based on the CATOBAR (Catapult Assisted Take-Off Barrier Assisted Recovery). The STOBAR platform limits the aircraft’s take-off weight and thus affecting the payload capacity. Meanwhile, the CATOBAR system uses Catapults for take-off, which does not limit the payload of the aircraft. Aircrafts for STOBAR platforms need a high thrust-weight ratio to provide lift which AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control Systems) are not able to generate.
There are 2 types of power catapults; steam and the sophisticated Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS). The Joint Working Group between India and US will help the nation access the EMALS system for INS Vishal.
The US Code, 10 U.S.C. 8062(b) states that the US Navy should have at least a minimum of 11 aircraft carriers and in December 2016, the US Navy released a force-level goal of maintaining a fleet of 355 ships and 12 aircraft carriers. This number caters to the US National Security Strategy and its larger goals in global politics making it a superpower that could engage in minutes in any part of the part.
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| USS Gerald R Ford Photo Credits: Navy.mil |
Sardar KM Panikkar rediscovered India’s maritime history and its significance in his essay titled ‘India and the Indian Ocean’ in 1945. In his research, he found ample evidence to suggest the salience of sea power in ancient Indian history.
The Indo-Pacific region becomes more relevant after the Chinese “String of Pearls” theory and its vulnerability in terms of energy imports in the region. China is in a race to establish itself as a naval superpower after claiming the title of the largest navy in the world. Beijing recently launched its third aircraft carrier ‘Fujian’, with a displacement of 80,000 tonnes. The carrier is based on the CATOBAR platform and is equipped with an electromagnetic catapult system.
With no defined National Security Strategy and a growing Chinese presence around India near its waters, future aircraft carriers will have a critical role in not only maintaining national maritime security, but the security near its borders with a balance of power in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.
Sources:
MAKING WAVES: Aiding India’s Next-Generation Aircraft Carrier: Ashley J Tellis (Carnegie Endowment For International Peace)
Book: The New Arthashastra (Chapter: Crafting as strategy for India's maritime security by Admiral Arun Prakash)
Navy Ford (CVN-78) Class Aircraft Carrier Program: Background and Issues for Congress
Good article!Can we talk about it sir？？
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