India to launch indigenous Aircraft Carrier project

August 4th, 2013

India will launch its biggest ever Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) project, in terms of size and complexity of design, on August 12 at Kochi.
Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) project:

• It will be India’s biggest Indigenous Aircraft Carrier warship with a displacement of 40,000-tonne.
• The project will render India to join the select club of nations like the U.S., France, Russia and the U.K., who are capable of designing and building 40,000-tonne aircraft carriers.
• Being built by the Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL)
• It has a length of 260 metres and a maximum breadth of 60 metres.
• Propelled by two shafts to attain speeds in excess of 28 knots.
• Two take off runways and a landing strip with three arrester wires.
• Very high degree of automation for machinery operation, navigation and survivability.
• With the launch of the project, the warship will be fitted with Long Range Surface to Air Missile (LR SAM) system with multi-function radar and Close-in Weapon System (CIWS), MiG 29K fighter jets, the naval version of Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), helicopters, early air warning radar and direction finding systems.
• After extensive sea trials in 2016, IAC will be commissioned by 2018, the time when Viraat who is currently serving as India’s aircraft carrier, would have clocked the time for its decommissioning.