Indian Navy’s First Made In India Aircraft Carrier Successfully Completes Basin Trials

In a positive development, the Basin Trials of the Indian Navy's upcoming indigenous aircraft carrier were successfully conducted at the Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) on Monday (30 November), reports Economic Times.

The Basin Trials were carried out in the presence of Vice Admiral A K Chawla, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Naval Command and Shri Madhu S Nair, Chairman and Managing Director, CSL.

With the Basin Trials accomplished, the carrier has entered the final phase of development. The stage involved extensive trials of all four LM2500 Gas Turbines, Main Gear Boxes, Shafting and Controllable Pitch Propellers, along with their integrated control systems. The carrier is now likely to undergo sea trials in the first half of 2021.

The indigenous carrier's development has seen direct involvement and contribution of over 50 Indian manufacturers, which have also generated ample employment opportunities. While about 2,000 individuals have received direct employment onboard the carrier on a daily basis, more than 40,000 individuals have also received indirect employment.

Also, it is notable that about 80-85 per cent of the project cost of about Rs 20,000 crore has been fed back into the Indian economy.