With the making of INS Vikrant—India’s very own warship—the country has achieved a big milestone in self-reliance in the defense sector. The feat achieved has added India to the elite club of nations which already includes the USA, Russia, France UK, and China—countries that can design and manufacture aircraft carriers above 40,0000 tonnes—and the same is going to have far-reaching effects on India’s image globally, especially concerning its might in defence and its capability of giving a befitting reply to the enemies. As the INS Vikrant stands commissioned, the same has had a great impact on the regional power dynamics already.
Vikrant, built at Rs 20 thousand crores, is a mighty 45,000-tonne warship set to be categorized as the seventh largest in the world while the same—all built indigenously—is a moment of pride for the people of India as the country is now seen setting foot on a pedestal to compete evenly with the world powers who once had the monopoly in defence manufacturing to have their dominance on the global politics especially in defending their sovereignty. Vikrant, apart from putting a great weight behind India’s defense manufacturing capability, will, in the long run, ensure that India is capable of ensuring foolproof maritime security by showing its dominance in the deep waters.
What is interesting here to note concerning the design of Vikrant, is the use of 20000-ton special warship grade steel which has been termed as the key and basic component of strength for the warship put into use by joint efforts of the Indian Navy, DRDO, and SAIL while as the guiding principle remained the self-reliance. It is quite astonishing to know that the flight deck of Vikrant is equal to two football fields brought together and if we talk of its height then, imagine a building with 20 floors. At the same time, the efforts and the dedication it took spans over a decade while the warship has been designed in such a manner that it has a speed of 28 knots with an endurance of 7,500 nautical miles, equal to around 14,000 km with accommodation for 16,000 crew members and the capacity of carrying 30 aircraft. Amazingly huge!
While India is already on the way to becoming self-reliant in several other crucial sectors, INS Vikrant has put a stamp of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat” on India’s defence manufacturing capability, however, the time is now to move ahead and do something similar concerning the manufacturing different range aircraft and other weaponry which India is currently getting from Russia and USA. The commissioning of INS Vikrant has ensured that India stands out from the nations which are lagging in such capabilities and joined the league of nations that carry weight and impact global decision-making. Becoming “Atmanirbhar Bharat” in the defence sector is what India needs desperately and with the sight of Warship Vikrant, India is marching ahead towards dominance.
