Kochi: Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) ‘Vikrant’ on Sunday accomplished its maiden sea voyage, for which it had sailed on August 4 from Kochi, informed the Indian Navy.
A navy press release said that the trials progressed as planned and system parameters have proven to be satisfactory. The carrier would continue to undergo a series of sea trials to prove all equipment and systems prior handing over the vessel to the Indian Navy.
Vikrant, designed by Indian Navy's Directorate of Naval Design (DND) that is 262 m long, 62 m at the widest part and 59 m high, was built at Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL).
The navy has said that Vikrant has 14 decks, including five in the superstructure. “The ship has over 2,300 compartments, designed for a crew of around 1700 people, having gender-sensitive accommodation spaces for women officers. The ship with high degree of automation for machinery operation, ship navigation and survivability, has been designed to accommodate an assortment of fixed wing and rotary aircraft,” the navy informed.
During the maiden sailing, ship’s performance, including hull, main propulsion, Power Generation and Distribution (PGD) and auxiliary equipment were tested.
A Navy press release said that the trials, which were reviewed by Vice Admiral AK Chawla, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Naval Command on the last day; have progressed as planned and system parameters have been proved satisfactory.