"Vikrant"- India's indigenous aircraft carrier to be commissioned on the country's independence day - Here's what we know

Titled 'Vikrant' as a tribute to India's first aircraft carrier, Vikrant (R11) INS Vikrant, also known as Indigenous Aircraft Carrier 1 (IAC-1), is the first aircraft carrier to be built in India. 

Rediff

Vikrant, meaning "courageous", is constructed by the Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) for the Indian Navy. Billed at approximately ?23,000 crores (US$3.0 billion) at the time of its first sea trials, its construction has catapulted India into an elite group of countries with the capabilities to build state-of-the-art aircraft carriers.

That the ship has been able to carry out basic flying operations from its very first sortie itself is a landmark in Indian warship construction historyCommander Madhwal said

Apparently, the carrier had successfully completed a series of 10-day sea trials in October, in addition to its 5-day maiden sea voyage in August last year.

After a long-standing wait that lasted 23 long years, after the approval of the construction of an indigenous aircraft carrier under the Project 71 Air Defence Ship (ADS) (under the then Atal Bihari government in 1999), this is a great leap forward for India in the direction of indigenous defence technology.

Design, specs and capabilities of INS Vikrant

INS Vikrant is 262 metres (860 ft) long and 62 metres (203 ft) wide, and displaces about 45,000 metric tons.

Powered by four General Electric LM2500+ gas turbines on two shafts, generating over 110,000 hp of power, it features a STOBAR configuration with a ski jump.

STOBAR configuration  with a ski jump | Representative | The Aviation Geek Club

While the aircraft carrier is expected to have a top speed of 30 knots, it is touted to have an endurance of 7500 nautical miles at a speed of 18 knots.

The deck is designed to facilitate operations of MiG-29K, the indigenously manufactured Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) and the soon-to-be-inducted MH-60R multirole helicopters manufactured by Lockheed Martin, besides carrying 10 Kamov Ka-31 or Westland Sea king helicopters. The Ka-31 apparently will fulfil the Airborne Early Warning (AEW) system while the Westland choppers will provide Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) capability.

Mig-29 | Representative | Forbes

On 6 January 2022, The Indian Navy started testing the Rafale-M for operations from INS Vikrant at the shore-based test facility at INS Hansa in Goa. Some reports also indicated the possibility of the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet being tested at the same location.

Rafale-M taking off from a ski jump | Representative | The Aviation Geek Club

The Defence Research and Development Organization introduced the HAL Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter (TEDBF) program for the Indian Navy after the HAL Tejas and the Tejas Mk2 were considered overweight for carrier operations. The HAL TEDBF is expected to make its first flight in 2026 with induction into the forces by 2032.

HAL TEDBF | Wikipedia

Furthermore, the aircraft carrier is also expected to be equipped with shipborne weapons like Barak LR SAM & AK-630.

Barak-8 Missile | Representative | IndiaTV News

AK-630 | Source

We will hand over the IAC to the Indian Navy next month after which the ship will take the name of INS Vikrant. India’s first aircraft carrier will be commissioned on Independence Day in August this yearBejoy Bhasker-director (technical) of Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) announced on the 50th anniversary of Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL)

Deccan Herald

Flight trials of its aircraft complement are expected to be completed by mid-2023, after which the ship will be fully operational.

Currently, India has only one aircraft carrier- the Russian-origin "INS Vikramaditya" which entered service in 2013.

INS Vikramaditya | Brifly News

SOURCE(s)

COVER: OneIndia

The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (Mumbai Airport) will remain shut for all flight operations for six hours on May 10 to carry out pre-monsoon maintenance and repairs, an official said on Monday, May 2.

For this purpose, both runways, RWYs 14/32 and 09/27, shall be closed for all flight operations on May 10 between 11 A.M. to 5 P.M.

A NOTAM has already been issued to all airlines and normal operations would resume that day after the maintenance works on the two runways are completed at 5 P.M. The CSMIA has advised all passengers to check the May 10 flight schedules with their respective airlines to avoid any inconveniences.

https://twitter.com/CSMIA_Official/status/1521109261237243905

Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) recently reported a jump in passenger movement as the government reopened international borders and regular international flights were resumed.

Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) had roughly 6.3 lakh passenger movement in just one month. Mumbai Airport saw almost 120 daily movements to a total of 41 overseas destinations from March 27 to April 27, 2022.

Mumbai airport to remain shut on May 10 for pre-monsoon maintenance

Around 2.8 lakh foreign passengers arrived in the first month, with around 3.5 lakh international passengers departing from CSMIA.

With over 1.62 lakh passengers travelling in a month, Dubai took first place as a destination. With 0.43 lakh and 0.40 lakh passengers moving through the CSMIA, Abu Dhabi and Singapore were rated second and third, respectively.

Mumbai Airport faired as the worst performer among major Indian airports in FY2021, and therefore on rebound managed to register a higher quantum of year-on-year percentage growth in FY2022.

Airspeeder is an electric flying race car racing series based in London, United Kingdom. Designed to be crewed by human pilots, the aircraft uses electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) technology.

The concept for a human-piloted, flying vehicle racing series was developed by Alauda Aeronautics CEO, Matt Pearson.

Alauda Aeronautics CEO, Matt Pearson | Business Insider

The company developed a prototype-an eVTOL quadcopter christened as the "Alauda Mark I Airspeeder", a version of which was displayed at the 2018 Australian Grand Prix.

Its successor- the updated Airspeeder Mk2, took part in a remotely-piloted exhibition at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2019.

The first successful test flight of a craft Alauda intended to use for racing was conducted in June 2021, which was an Airspeeder Mk3 octocopter craft.

The Airspeeder Mk3 (Tech and specs)

Reportedly, Alauda Aeronautics is currently building several unmanned identical racing vehicles at its technical headquarters in Adelaide, South Australia, that will be supplied to teams for the first races around electronically governed courses.

Airspeeder Mk3 | New Atlas

The flight of the Alauda Mk3 is a precursor to the Airspeeder EXA series of three unmanned flying car races which were set to happen globally last year.

Airspeeder EXA series eVTOL aircraft launched in Adelaide in preparation for 2022 manned race | Science Times

The unveiling of the world’s first full-sized electric flying racing car is a landmark moment in the dawn of a new mobility revolution. It is competition that drives progress and our racing series is hastening the arrival of technology that will transform clean-air passenger transport, logistics and even advanced air mobility for medical applications. The world’s first electric flying car races will take place this year and will be the most exciting and progressive motorsport on the planetsaid Pearson- Alauda's founder during the Mk3's launch event in 2021

Inspired by designs of racing cars from the 50s and 60s, and in what looks like a hybrid between a drone and a high-performance red bull aerobatic plane, the small, sleek, yet manoeuvrable Airspeeder Mk3 features a 96 kW electric powertrain producing 429 BHP- very much comparable to what an Audi SQ7 can produce.

Weighing in at only 280 pounds (unladen), the eVTOL aircraft has a maximum take-off weight of 176 lbs (80 kg), thereby making it ready for future manned races.

Airspeeder

The aerial supercar has a maximum ceiling of 1,640 feet (500 meters) and can easily throttle from 0-62 miles per hour (100 kilometres per hour) in just 2.8 seconds.

The Mk3 vehicle is also said to have a thrust-to-weight ratio of 3.5- a figure that is claimed to be higher than an F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet.

It will also feature both-LiDar and radar collision avoidance systems that will allow for close, “ultimately safe racing".

Extensive carbon-fibre technology has been used to design its sleek, monocoque body.

Airspeeder

A “slide-and-lock” battery removal and replacement system are also integrated into the system which will allow for rapid pit stops. Apparently, the teams could sway this to their advantage by selecting from an array of different battery sizes, weights and outputs available.

They are intended to serve as a flying testbed that will gather data on vehicle dynamics, performance, safety and powertrain technology to inform the design and specs of the upcoming manned Mk4 racers, so pilots will control the unmanned flyers remotely.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXCbX6_oJMg

Guardian Australia

And that's not all. The company, reportedly, also expect the first manned Airspeeder Mk4 to be introduced sometime this year. Although still in its infancy, current specs show a top speed of 160 km/h (100 mph) and zero to 100 km/h (62 mph) acceleration in 2.3 seconds.

Touted to fly for up to 20 minutes per battery at up to 60 m (196 ft) above the ground, the aerial Superbird will also feature eight broadcast cameras onboard, as well as 22 sensors including LiDAR, radar and an altimeter.

SOURCE(s)

COVER: Motor1.com

The SpiceJet plane, SG-945, was attempting a landing at Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport in West Bengal's Durgapur when it encountered a storm, locally known as Kalbaisakhi. The oxygen masks dropped and luggage fell out of the overhead bins on the passengers, injuring several.

India's aviation regulator DGCA today said it has constituted a multidisciplinary team to probe the severe turbulence incident on SpiceJet’s Mumbai-Durgapur flight that left 15 people injured on May 1.

The aircraft took off from Mumbai a few minutes after 5 PM on Sunday, May 1 and was on its approach to Durgapur’s Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport after a two-hour flight when it encountered severe turbulence that caused the passenger injuries.

The 189-seater aircraft, however, landed safely at Durgapur at 7:15 PM, following which the injured passengers were provided medical attention. It was not just the passengers but also some cabin crew members who suffered injuries. These people received head and spinal injuries.

"We have deputed a multidisciplinary team to carry out a regulatory investigation (into this incident)," DGCA chief Arun Kumar told PTI.

https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1520903257459412992

SpiceJet clarified that the seat belt sign was on and multiple announcements were made by crew members asking passengers to remain seated.

SpiceJet spokesperson said, “Eleven passengers travelling on SpiceJet flight SG-945 from Mumbai to Durgapur on May 1, which encountered severe turbulence during descent which unfortunately resulted in injuries to a few passengers, were hospitalised.”

A total of 15 people — 12 passengers and three cabin crew members — were injured in this flight due to severe turbulence, according to DGCA officials. Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said the matter is being "dealt with utmost seriousness and deftness".

https://twitter.com/JM_Scindia/status/1521070777591758848

"The turbulence encountered by a flight while landing in Durgapur, and the damage caused to the passengers is unfortunate. The DGCA has deputed a team to investigate the incident. The matter is being dealt with utmost seriousness and deftness. More details on the cause(s) will be shared once the investigation is completed (sic)," Scindia tweeted.

However, there is no confirmation whether the Air Traffic Controller or the pilot flying the aircraft were informed of the storm. An enquiry into the matter is underway.

As a standard practice, the investigation will focus on a number of factors to ascertain why it was that the incident caused severe injuries to the passengers.

These include the weather conditions when the plane encountered turbulence, whether or not the pilots were caught unprepared when they encountered the turbulence and whether they asked the cabin to prepare for incoming disturbances to the flight.

Notably, the passenger charter of rights issued by the Ministry of Civil Aviation in 2019, says that for domestic travel, in case of death or bodily injury to a passenger on-board an aircraft, the airline is liable to pay up to INR 20 lakh per passenger.

In 2021, The Government of India was prompt in declaring the country's aerospace & defence market to be worth INR 85,000 crore. With heightened ambitions for 2022, the government now wants the industry to hit INR 1 lakh crore in 2022.

How can India achieve this?

With the incumbent government stressing the need for indigenization of the projects in the aerospace and defence sector under the vision of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat,’ the task at hand is not a small one, especially with the long-term target for the sector being worth INR 5 lakh crore by 2047.

Representative | Times Now

Self-reliance is a great idea for a country like India, as the country stood at the #1 position on a list of the largest arms importers between 2017 and 2021, ahead of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Australia, and China (according to SIPRI's Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2021). During this period, India was astoundingly responsible for 11% of the global arms imports. Moreover, the aerospace industry, which is largely limited to government-owned entities like HAL, NAL, and ISRO, has a high import dependency on raw materials and bought-out items for the production of indigenous technology.

Representative | The Hans India

The border tensions with China also exposed the issue of defence equipment procurement on short notice, to enhance combat effectiveness. When the skirmishes were taking place at the Indo-China border, reports suggested that the Indian Army lacked terrain-specific weapons, combat vehicles, and more. To bridge this gap in equipment and weapons, the Indian armed forces were granted emergency financial powers of capital and revenue procurement. Such debilitating dependence on the import of defence products clearly needs solutions – the biggest one being the focus on the manufacture and procurement of indigenous defence components.

Illustrative | IBTimes India

With manufacturing in the aerospace and defence industry being termed as one of the important pillars of the 'Make in India 2.0' initiative, there is a great opportunity to be explored. India has a great defence industrial base which includes 9 defence public sector undertakings, 41 ordinance factories (which have now merged into 7 DPSu's), research organizations, and private companies over 100. Additionally, the Ministry of Defence has been appealing to India's allies with a refreshed focus to manufacture in India.

Addressing the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) last year, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, “We have told every friendly country that we want to produce the military platforms, weapons and ammunition in India itself, keeping in mind the security of the country.” He further said that he had also conveyed this message to the USA, Russia, and France (India's biggest arms suppliers).

Rajnath Singh | NDTV

Besides, the Government of India had also announced on 1 August 2020, that it would stop the import of 101 weapons and military platforms like light combat helicopters, cruise missiles, conventional submarines, and more by 2024. The government released yet another list on 31 May 2021 with restrictions on 108 military weapons and systems such as next-generation corvettes, airborne early warning systems, radars etc. They later released a third list, of banned items which include lightweight tanks, 155 millimetres, 52 calibres mounted artillery gun systems, Guided Extended Range (GER) rockets and more.

The Centre has cancelled close to INR 60,000 crore worth of ‘Buy-Global’ cases

With fresh impetus, India has been looking at manufacturing to produce world-class products in the aerospace and defence space. But this capital, skill, and technology-intensive industry need to adopt the Industry 4.0 methodology to develop and grow faster.

Adoption of Industry 4.0 is key

Industry 4.0 technologies could be key to unlocking future competitiveness for India’s A&D industry as the next generation of aircraft manufacturing will certainly be based on it. This needs to start with the digitalization of the aircraft manufacturing process from the very beginning, including the parts specifications, drawings, engineering, manufacturing, qualification, serial production, quality assurance, transportation, and the assembly of the aircraft. There are a clear and compelling case for Aerospace and Defence (A&D) companies to leverage these technologies and incorporate digital transformation throughout their organizations.

Representative | PD Solutions

At the turn of the century, India started seeing an increased level of participation from private companies in the aerospace and defence sector. Such participation from the private players needs to be encouraged further now as they can play a crucial role in propelling the sector to higher echelons as they are not bound by the shackles of government. They can hence, innovate at a rapid pace and deliver results in R&D and manufacture at a much faster rate.

Representative | pib.gov.in

Industry 4.0 can thus help manufacturers improve their productivity and efficiency. Technology deployed across manufacturing stages can help companies keep track of their production and analyze the data across their facilities. This could result in higher efficiency of processes and high-quality products at relatively lesser costs. The sooner companies evolve into agile, modern businesses, the faster the industry can scale.

COVER: Aero Time

Vistara's enrolment in Tata Group's super app Tata Neu will take time as both the entities are working on a model on how a passenger's loyalty points can be used on the other, the airline's Chief Commercial Officer Deepak Rajawat said.

Tata Neu, which was launched on April 7, gives loyalty points "Neu" to its customers for every purchase done on the app. Similarly, Vistara has a frequent flyer programme called "Club Vistara" and it gives "CV points" to its passengers for every purchase done in its ecosystem.

Tata Group's AirAsia India is already on Tata Neu. However, the group's other three airlines -- Vistara, Air India and Air India Express -- have not joined Tata Neu as yet.

Tata Neu gives loyalty points "Neu" to its customers for every purchase done on the app.

ALSO READ - Air India intends to purchase a 100% stake in AirAsia India; Tatas to relocate all 4 airlines to Gurgaon

Last week, Air India applied with the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to merge AirAsia India with itself. It is not clear if and when Vistara and Air India will be merged. However, Club Vistara is here to stay, he said.

On whether Neu points could be used to buy tickets on Vistara or if CV points could be used to buy products on the Tata Neu app, Rajawat told PTI, "Our model is not finalised yet." "Tata group companies that are giving these (Neu) points and how it will burn on Vistara (to buy air tickets) is something we are working on," he added.

Tata group had on April 7 launched its super app, Tata Neu, bringing all its brands to one platform as it seeks to play a major role in the Indian e-commerce space currently dominated by the likes of Amazon and Flipkart.

Rajawat told PTI, "Most of the major brand companies like Vistara and Titan are working closely to come to a stage of enrolling on that platform (Neu app)."

When asked by when Vistara will be part of Tata Neu, he said, "We are working but it will take time because the system integration and those (other) things have to take place."

In September 2019, Club Vistara had about 1.6 million (one million = 10 lakh) members. Club Vistara touched the three million mark in the last month, Rajawat said.

"In the last two years, we wanted to grow to five million at least but because of the slowdown in travel during the last 18-24 months, the numbers are not that high. Plus, we have deferred our growth also," he mentioned. The airline plans to double the number of Club Vistara members in the next few years, he noted.

Vistara's partnership with five airlines -- United Airlines, Japan Airlines, Lufthansa, Air Canada and Singapore Airlines -- gives an "earn-and-burn" facility to frequent flyer program members, he mentioned.

Earn-and-burn means frequent flyer program members of the two partner airlines can earn the points while travelling on any of the two carriers and use the points to buy tickets on any of the two airlines.

Apart from the aforementioned five airlines, Club Vistara is currently in partnership with 35 non-aviation companies that are in segments such as car rental, retail, health, dining and hotels.

When asked if Vistara has set an aim about the number of companies that it wants to partner with by 2025-end for Club Vistara, he said, "We do not want to work on a target that this X number of partners we want." "We want to keep the program in a way that suits the requirements of the members. We keep researching what the customer needs...and we constantly rework the benefits that we offer," he added.

"Targeting 100 or 200 partners -- that is not the game we are looking at. We want to keep it a very niche product and work on that," he mentioned. When asked what steps will make Club Vistara a lifestyle programme, he said, "Once we go international, there is far more attractiveness that comes in. Today, Vistara's 80% operations are domestic and only the remaining 20% are international."

Once Vistara grows its footprints globally -- like how people can book tickets on the airline's flights to London, Paris and Frankfurt right now -- the attractiveness of the frequent flyer programme will increase, he mentioned.

"We are working to develop non-air partnerships this year...We are focusing on that," he noted. There are four tiers in Club Vistara comprising Base, Silver, Gold and Platinum. Customers who belong to the Gold and Platinum category get a separate customer service helpline, which is managed by Praxis Services Private Limited.

On the question of whether the airline plans to make any changes in its customer service system for Platinum or Gold Club Vistara Members, he said, "No, I don't think so. We are happy with the changes that we have brought along with Praxis. Of course, there is always a scope for improvement that we will try and do."

"We intend to reduce the waiting time for the calls even when there are high volumes. We want to give them an experience where they can call up easily and get through. That is why we have a dedicated separate call centre for premium customers," he mentioned.

Tata Group took control of Air India and Air India Express on January 27 after successfully winning the bid for the airline on October 8, 2021.