After INS Vikrant, work has begun on second indigenous aircraft carrier: Union Minister Rajnath Singh
Updated: Dec 10, 2022 11:58:21am
After INS Vikrant, work has begun on second indigenous aircraft carrier: Union Minister Rajnath Singh
New Delhi, Dec 10 (KNN) After the launch of indigenously build INS Vikrant, India has already began working on its second aircraft carrier, said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday.
Speaking at an event, he hailed the successful launch of the INS Vikrant, saying India became the seventh country in the world to build an aircraft carrier.
According to the Defence Minister, a few years ago, no one would have thought India was capable of doing such a thing. Notably, India is only the seventh country after the US, UK, France, Germany, China and Japan to have built an aircraft carrier.
Defence Minister Singh underscored that the INS Vikrant aircraft carrier has achieved 73-74 per cent indigenisation. Currently, India operates two aircraft carriers – Russian-built INS Vikramaditya and indigenously built INS Vikrant, a 40,000-tonne vessel.
Last week, Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar had said the Navy was considering a repeat order for INS Vikrant to capitalise on the expertise available within the country.
Kumar said the Navy was yet to firm up its mind on building the indigenous aircraft carrier-2, a heavier vessel with 65,000 tonnes displacement.
Further, the Defence Minister also claimed India has set a target of Rs 25,000 in defence exports by 2024-25. (KNN Bureau)