Ahead of commissioning in 2022, India's first indigenous aircraft carrier 'Vikrant' begins another phase of sea trials - See pics

IAC Vikrant had successfully completed a five-day maiden sea voyage in August last year and had then also undergone 10-day sea trials in October.

While the maiden sea trials were to establish propulsion, navigational suite and basic operations, the second sea trial witnessed the ship being put through its paces in terms of various machinery trials and flight trials. Various seamanship evolutions were also successfully cleared during the second sortie. 

Having gained adequate confidence in the ship’s abilities, the IAC Vikrant now sails to undertake complex manoeuvres to establish specific readings of how the ship performs in various conditions. In addition, various sensor suites of the ship would also be tested. 

The IAC Vikrant is 262 metres long, 62 metres wide and has a height of 59 metres.

It has over 2,300 compartments, designed for a crew of around 1,700 people, including specialised cabins to accommodate women officers. 

The warship has been built at a cost of around Rs 23,000 crore and its construction propelled India into a select group of countries having capabilities to build state-of-the-art aircraft carriers.

The warship will operate MiG-29K fighter jets, Kamov-31 helicopters, MH-60R multi-role helicopters. 

Vikrant has a top speed of around 28 knots and a cruising speed of 18 knots with an endurance of about 7,500 nautical miles.

The warship has been built by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) and its construction began in 2009. The 40,000-tonne aircraft carrier is the largest and most complex warship to be built in India.