On November 30, 2020, the Basin Trials of Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) was conducted successfully at the Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL). The basin trials marked the entry of the warship building project into the final phase.
Note – IAC will be inducted in the Navy by end of 2021 as Indian Naval Ship (INS) Vikrant.
The BrahMos supersonic cruise missile developed by Brahmos Aerospace Private Limited, a joint venture of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) of India and NPO Mashinostroyeniya (NPOM) of Russia.
Anti-Ship version of BrahMos Missile:
The Missile was launched from Indian Navy’s INS Ranvijay and it successfully hit its target at the Car Nicobar Islands in Bay of Bengal.
Objective of the Missile test:
It was conducted to check out the effectiveness and readiness of the weapon system in a limited time frame.
Key Points:
i.The Missile had a strike range of 300 Kms.
ii.It was conducted for capability enhancement of the system inducted into forces and user training exercise.
iii.The Missile has a maximum speed of 2.8 Mach (which is around 3, 450 Kmph).
iv.On November 24, 2020, Indian Army successfully test-fired the land-attack version of BrahMos supersonic cruise Missile from the Andaman and Nicobar (A & N) Island Territory.
INS Ranvijay:
i.It is a Rajput-class destroyer which was commissioned on 15th January 1988.
ii.It is equipped with dual anti-ship missile complexes, four Styx systems in inclined launchers, 8 BrahMos missiles, dual air defence systems and anti-submarine launchers.
Basin Trials of IAC successfully conducted at CSL
Basin Trial is a stage before the sea trials where the Ship Machinery and Equipment are tested in floating conditions. The sea trials of the IAC would be undertaken in the first half of 2021.
The trials were conducted in the presence of AK Chawla, Vice Admiral & Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Naval Command & Madhu S Nair, Chairman and Managing Director of Cochin Shipyard Limited.
Testing of Components:
i.Trials of Four LM2500 Gas Turbines, Main Gear Boxes, Shafting and Controllable Pitch Propellers with Integrated control systems were carried out during these trials.
ii.During the Harbour trials phase, major auxiliary equipment, steering gear, Air Conditioning Plants, Deck Machinery and Internal communication equipment were tested.
Indigenous Content:
i.Around 75% of the material and equipment onboard the IAC are indigenous.
ii.Around 50 Indian Manufacturers were directly involved in the project generating about 2000 direct employment on a daily basis and over 40, 000 indirect employments.
About IAC “INS Vikrant”:
i.The IAC will weigh around 40, 000 tonnes and its fighters (MiG-29K) will operate on Short Take-Off But Arrest Recovery (STOBAR) mechanism similar to present carrier INS Vikramaditya with angular ski-jump.
ii.IAC had successfully completed the Pre-Contractors Sea Trials dry dock work package in December, 2019.
iii.Motto of INS Vikrant – “Jayema Sam Yudhi Sprdhah (I defeat those who fight against me)”.
iv.The project cost of INS Vikrant had gone up to USD 3.5 Billion USD in 2014, in 2019 an additional 420 Million USD was authorised for the 3rd phase of the IAC project.
v.The basic design of the IAC was done by Indian Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design and developed into a detailed one by the design team of CSL.
Recent Related News:
i.On October 30, 2020, IAF successfully test-fired an air launched version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from a Sukhoi fighter aircraft in the Bay of Bengal.
ii.On October 22, 2020 India successfully carried out the 10th and Final User Trial of Nag Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) at Pokhran Field Firing Ranges, Rajasthan.
About Indian Navy:
Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS)– Admiral Karambir Singh
Integrated Headquarters MoD (Navy)– New Delhi
