LCA Navy makes maiden landing on India’s indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant

The Indian Navy called the achievement ‘a milestone achieved towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.

The Indian Navy takes a significant step towards operationalising Indigenous Aircraft Carrier INS Vikrant by successful landing of MiG-29K by Naval Pilots demonstrating India's prowess in Aircraft Carrier design, construction & operations while enhancing Navy's #CombatReadiness | Twitter/@indiannavy

New Delhi: India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant made a landmark achievement on Monday after the maiden landing of the naval variant of India’s indigenous light combat aircraft (LCA) and the MiG-29K on its deck.

“It demonstrates India’s capability to design, develop, construct and operate an indigenous aircraft carrier with an indigenous fighter aircraft,” the Indian Navy said in a statement.

The Navy called the achievement “a milestone achieved towards Aatmamirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India)”.

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LCA Navy Landing and Take Off #INSVikrant #AatmaNirbharBharat#IndianNavy #FutureProofForce@PMOIndia @DefenceMinIndia @DefProdnIndia @HALHQBLR https://t.co/t1AakOn2pi pic.twitter.com/Q9fi91tfB1

— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) February 6, 2023

Commissioned in September last year, INS Vikrant’s 45,000-tonne aviation deck has been in the process of being operationalised. Built at a cost of ₹20,000 crore, INS Vikrant is India’s largest indigenous warship, standing at 262 metres long and 62 metres wide.

Naval officers had earlier said that the aviation trials of the aircraft carrier will be carried out this year. Two prototypes of the Naval LCA-Mk1 are operational as part of the aircraft development.

The warship, which has been in the works for over a decade, can carry 30 aircraft, including MiG-29K fighter jets and helicopters. The warship can accommodate a crew of nearly 1,600.

In January 2020, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) had demonstrated the successful arrested landing of Naval LCA on INS Vikramaditya and subsequently, 18 take-offs and landings were conducted in five days. After this development, the Navy noted the need for a twin-engine aircraft for the carrier.

While the current INS Vikrant carrier will be operating the Mig-29Ks in service, the Navy is also looking at procuring an advanced fighter – between the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet and the Dassault Aviation Rafale — which will fill the gap before the HAL Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter is inducted by 2032.