Both are modified Soviet-era designs.Īt about 45,000 tonnes, the Vikrant is even smaller than the older Shandong and both carriers use the older technology “ski-jump” design to give aircraft taking off a much-needed lift. It is better compared to China’s own first domestically-made aircraft carrier, the Shandong, commissioned in 2019. The Vikrant, whilst a milestone for India’s military indigenisation programme, is an older design that is already almost out of date. Aircraft carriers will play a part in that conflict, but their designs have to be able to stand up to powerful weapons systems coming online. Indian strategists are increasingly focused on what it will take to defeat China in a future naval conflict. India is working hard to develop its own navy as a counter to China’s expansion as tensions between the two countries have risen, recently in the Doklam plateau on the borders of India, China and Bhutan, but also now that India has become a member of the four-nation maritime organisation, the QUAD, aimed at countering China’s influence. New designs are being developed at record speeds as China’s navy increases its power and reach to become a truly global force. Numerically, it is now the largest navy in the world, with all its ships now designed and built in Chinese shipyards. While keeping one eye on Pakistan, India’s strategic focus has increasingly been on China and its dramatic military expansion, with the People’s Liberation Army Navy, or PLAN, being the main beneficiary. Its capabilities already fall short of what India’s next-generation navy needs. The latest, locally designed and manufactured Indian weapons system, the Vikrant not only highlights the abilities of a maturing military-industrial complex, but is also a powerful reminder of a programme mired in bureaucratic delays and cost overruns.

India is currently building a new generation of warships for its navy and the Vikrant is the most visible symbol of Indian pride and industry. India’s newest and most powerful ship, the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, was inducted into the navy last Friday.

World of warships carrier operation