(Image source from: INS Vikrant undocked)

First Arihant and now Vikrant, India seems to be slowly and steadily building up on its Naval defense that is likely to raise hackles in the enemy nations.

Yesterday India introduced its first homespun aircraft carrier, the INS Vikrant amidst sacred hymns and chants at the Kochi shipyard in Kerala.

For now, the country's first indigenous 40,000-tonne aircraft carrier is set for major weapon and aviation trials including supersonic fighters. It will be inducted in the navy in 2018 and will only be war-ready by 2020, sources say.

With INS Vikrant, India has catapulted itself into the exclusive company of nations like the US, Russia, the UK and France to have an air vessel of such gigantic proportions.

"The need for a strong and vigilant Navy to defend our mainland, island territories, off-shore assets, EEZ and maintaining our sea lanes of communication needs no emphasis," said defence minister A K Antony, at the "launch" ceremony of INS Vikrant at the Cochin Shipyard on Monday.

“Then, of course, India needs to safeguard it primary area of geo-political interest stretching from Persian Gulf to Malacca Strait and beyond as well as effectively counter the expanding Chinese Navy's hunt for "strategic space" in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR),” Antony added.

Vice-Admiral RK Dhowan of India's navy has described the launch as the "crowning glory" of the navy's programme to produce vessels on home soil.

AW: Suchorita Dutta