Over 100 Indian MSME’s Contributed to the Made-In-India INS Vikrant
India’s first indigenously-developed aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant was commissioned on 2nd September 2022 at Cochin Shipyard, Kerala.
This 262-metre-long aircraft carrier has been designed by Indian Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design, and built by Cochin Shipyards Ltd. (CSL) at a cost of Rs. 20,000 crore. INS Vikrant weights about 45,000 tonnes and has a maximum speed of 28 knots (about 51.8 Kmph). It will have a fleet of 30 aircrafts which will comprise 18 MiG 29s and 12 choppers.
India’s first fully made-in-India aircraft carrier has been built using speciality steel supplied by Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL). Other than this, several companies, including over 100 Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), have provided components which have been used in INS Vikrant. Some of these companies are Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE), Keltron, Larsen & Tuobro, Wartsila India and Kirloskar.
Cochin Shipyards formally started building INS Vikrant in 2004, and delivered this aircraft carrier to the Indian Navy on 28th July 2022.