INS Vikrant Full Form

INS Vikrant's full form is Indian Navy Ship Vikrant. INS Vikrant is an aircraft carrier serving in the Indian Navy. INS Vikrant is the first ship built in India, the ship was built by Cochin Shipyards Limited (CSL) in Cochin, Kerala. To know more about the history, classification, interesting facts, and more on INS Vikrant, continue reading.

What is the Full Form of INS Vikrant?

As mentioned above the full form of INS Vikrant is Indian Navy Ship Vikrant. INS Vikrant is India's first aircraft carrier to be built for the Indian Navy. INS Vikrant is the first aircraft carrier manufactured in India by Cochin Shipyard Limited located in Cochin, Kerala. The term Vikrant means courageous in the Sanskrit language. The motto of INS Vikrant is I defeat those who fight against me.

About the Indian Navy Ship

The Indian Navy is one of the naval branches under the Indian Armed Forces. It is responsible for protecting India's sea borders also maintaining peace and security. Indian Navy ships are designed and built to perform a variety of tasks including maritime surveillance, search and rescue, humanitarian aid, and disaster relief. There are different types of ships in the Indian Navy which include aircraft carriers, destroyers, frigates, frigates, submarines, and surveillance ships. All the ships are equipped with various weapon systems, sensors, and other advanced equipment.

History of INS Vikrant 

In the year 1999, the Minister of Defence George Fernandez authorized the development and construction of the Indian Navy Ship Vikrant (INS Vikrant full form) aircraft carrier as part of the 71st Air Defense Ship (ADS) project. During the year 2001, Cochin Shipyards Limited (CSL) published a photo of the 32,000-ton Short take-off But Arrested Recovery (STOBAR)with ski jumping. Later in year 2003 in January the company received official approval from the government for building INS Vikrant.

Operational History of INS Vikrant

INS Vikrant sailed to Tamil Nadu for the first time during its initial re-armament after being commissioned in the year 1961. The ship was being rebuilt in Mumbai when the 1965 war took place between India and Pakistan.

Vikrant's first combat mission took place in the 1971 during  India-Pakistan war. During this war, the Vikrant was used for conducting air operations, and air strikes with the help of Hawker Seahawk fighter-bombers played a crucial role. The formation of  Bangladesh took place after the end of the war. Vikrant helped warplanes block East Pakistan's access to resources which were supplied by air and sea, and disrupt the Pakistan Army's ground operations. Between the years 1991 and 1994, the ship went through another rebuilding or maintenance which provided operational stability to the carrier.

Meaning of Aircraft Carrier

An aircraft carrier is a military ship that serves as an airbase at sea, it consists of a full-length deck for flight and facilities for transporting, arming, deploying, and returning aircraft. It is generally known as the capital ship because it allows the navy to create worldwide air power without the need for local dependency on aircraft operations. Since its inception in the 20th century, carriers have evolved from wooden ships used to transport balloons to nuclear-powered warships that carry many fighter jets, attack aircraft, helicopters, and more.

About INS Vikrant 

The aircraft carrier is 700 ft in length and is shorter than INS Viraat which was commissioned in year 1987. INS Vikrant is the bridge between large carriers and smaller ones also known as escort carriers. In other words, "Vikrant" can be classified as a "light cargo ship". As per the statement, Vikrant belongs to the Majestic-class aircraft carrier. Below mentioned are some more details  about INS Vikrant

• Cost: The INS Vikrant costs INR 20,000 million. 
• Design: The deck of INS Vikrant is designed to allow aircraft such as the MiG-29K to operate on a carrier. The ship is expected to carry up to 30 aircraft, including 24-26 fighter jets, mostly MiG-29K. The Vikrant is powered by four General Electric LM2500+ gas turbines on two shafts and produces more than 80 megawatts (110,000 horsepower) of electricity. The gearbox of the carrier was designed and supplied by Elecon Engineering. The top speed of Vikrant is 28 KNOTS along with 18 KNOTS of cruising speed. INS Vikrant is manufactured using 76% of indigenous products.
• Length: The carrier is 262 m long and 62 m wide. There are 14 decks in total, of which the superstructure is 5 floors. It has more than 2,400 rooms or compartments. 
• Commissioning: The commissioning of INS Vikrant 2022 F was done by Prime Mister Narendra Modi and is known as First made in Indian aircraft carrier.

Classification of Indian Navy Ships

Mainly Indian Navy Ships are divided into 3 categories and each category carries different ships. The categories of Indian Navy Ships are mentioned below

1. Surface Ships 

• Aircraft carriers
• Destroyers
• Frigates
• Corvettes
• Offshore Patrol 
• Landing & transport ships
• Patrol vessels

2. Submarines

• Conventionally powered submarines (SSK)
• Nuclear-powered submarines 

3. Auxiliary Fleet

• Replenishment ships
• Research & survey vessels 
• Support Ships 
• Training Vessels 

Written By: Deepit Mathur