INS Vikramaditya : India’s largest warship and pride of Indian Navy -All you need to know

INS Vikramaditya : India’s largest warship and pride of Indian Navy -All you need to know

India is celebrating the achievements of naval forces on Navy Day today and one can not ignore the largest warship in India’s fleet and the only aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya. 

INS Vikramaditya, which was acquired from Russia, entered into service with the Indian Navy in 2013. Named after Vikramaditya, a legendary emperor of Ujjain, the warship was purchased by India on 20 January 2004.

The biggest ship of the Indian Navy, it stands at 60 meters high and is 284 metres long. For reference, India Gate in New Delhi is 43 meters high and soccer fields the world over are mostly between 100 and 110 meters long. It is not just its imposing dimensions though that has made INS Vikramaditya the pride of Indian Navy.

It weighs 40,000 tonnes and is the biggest and heaviest ship operated by the Navy. It is a modified Kiev class aircraft carrier.

INS Vikramaditya was first commissioned by Russian Navy in 1987 under the name Baku. It was later renamed as Admiral Gorshkov. In 2004, India agreed to buy it from Russia for $974 million.

However, the cost kept shooting up as Russia delayed the delivery by over five years. The warship carries around 1500 naval personnel onboard at a time, which often increased to 2000 when the ship sets sail.

INS Vikramaditya,Capable of detecting enemy ships in a 500-kilometre radius, the aircraft carrier is fitted with air-surveillance radar, missiles and gun machines. It is also fitted with modern communication systems and microwave landing system which enables fighter aircrafts to operate from it even in difficult weather conditions.

INS Vikramaditya was commissioned on 16 November 2013 at a ceremony held at Severodvinsk, Russia. On June 14, 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally inducted the warship into the Indian Navy and dedicated it to the nation.