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| INS Vikrant under-construction, prior to its 1st launch in 2013 |
By Franz-Stefan Gady
Progress on India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier is steady, but will it be ready in time?
India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, will be re-launched next week according to local media reports.
The vessel was officially launched in August 2013 with the completion of phase I of construction. The re-launch on May 28 at Cochin Shipyard Limited in Kochi will mark the successful completion of the most critical stage of phase II.
“All major equipment has gone into the vessel, which has now acquired the shape of an aircraft carrier, with a finished hull. Barring a bit of ongoing work on the super structure, structural work is all over and the internal compartments have all been welded in,” a shipyard official was quoted as saying.
Additionally, The Hindu notes that “outfitting is steadily progressing at the moment, but a major part of it — including piping, electrical cabling, control system wiring — will be carried out after the vessel is launched.”
Read the full story at The Diplomat