Kochi to Bokaro and Kolkata to Pune: INS Vikrant an all-India effort

Kochi to Bokaro and Kolkata to Pune: INS Vikrant an all-India effort

Subject : Security

• The country’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC), built by the Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL), and was commissioned into the Indian Navy as INS Vikrant on Friday.
• The design and construction of the IAC was formally sanctioned by the government in January 2003 and the keel was laid in February 2009.

• The DRDO and the Steel Authority of India Ltd together designed warship-grade steel. It is now being used for all the warships built in India
• The steel supplied by SAIL for this indigenous project comprises special DMR grade plates. These DMR grade plates have been developed by SAIL in collaboration with the Indian Navy and the DRDO’s Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory.
• One of the main aspects of the Aircraft Carrier Vikrant is its level of indigenisation, and one of the most significant areas where ‘atmanirbharta’ is seen is the structure of the vessel — the speciality DMR grade steel for Vikrant was supplied by the country’s steelmaking giant Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL)
• The steel supplied by SAIL for this indigenous project comprises special DMR grade plates. These DMR grade plates have been developed by SAIL in collaboration with the Indian Navy and the DRDO’s Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory.
• The DMR plates of Grade 249 A were used for the hull and vessel interiors, and Grade 249 B for the flight deck of this warship. SAIL supplied the entire quantity of speciality steel, except for the bulb bars from its integrated steel plants at Bhilai, Bokaro and Rourkela
• The 5 m long and 61.6 m wide INS Vikrant displaces approximately 43,000 tonnes, has a maximum speed of 28 knots with endurance of 7,500 nautical miles. The ship has around 2,200 compartments, designed for a crew of around 1,600 including women officers and sailors.
• The successful commissioning of INS Vikrant puts India in the elite group of nations which are capable of designing and constructing aircraft carriers – the others being the US, Russia, UK, France and China.