India launches first home-built aircraft carrier

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the country’s first home-built aircraft carrier in a ceremony on Friday. <br> <br>The INS ‘Vikrant’ (Sanskrit for ‘powerful’) is 262 meters long, and is capable of carrying 30 aircraft and a crew of 1,600. The carrier was designed and built in India, using 75% Indian-made parts. It is the nation’s second such vessel, having purchased the INS ‘Vikramaditya’ from Russia in 2004. <br> <br>The carrier is expected to be fully operational in 2023, but it will have to share its squadron of Russian MiG-29K aircraft with the ‘Vikramaditya’ until it has secured its own aircraft, with several options under consideration. <br> <br>----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- <br>Freedom over censorship, truth over narrative. <br>Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RTnews <br>Follow us on Telegram: t.me/rtnews <br>Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RT_com