September 2, 2022 will mark the historical milestone of realisation of Nation’s commitment towards ‘Aatmanirbharta’, a landmark date for the Indian Navy and the entire Nation; with Commissioning of first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) ‘Vikrant’. Prime Minister would be the Chief Guest on this momentous occasion. Vikrant is the first indigenously designed and built Aircraft Carrier for the Indian Navy. Designed by the Warship Design Bureau, Indian Navy’s in-house organisation and built by M/s Cochin Shipyard Limited, the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier is christened after her illustrious predecessor, India’s first Aircraft Carrier which played a vital role in the 1971 war. The first phase of ship construction was completed with successful launch of the ship in August 2013. Thereafter, ‘Vikrant’ has successfully completed multiple phases of Sea Trials from August 2021 till date and proved to the satisfaction of Indian Navy’s trials team and ship’s crew. With the commissioning of ‘Vikrant’ on September 2, 2022, India would join the select group of nations having the niche capability to indigenously design and build an Aircraft Carrier, which will be a real testimony to the Make in India thrust of Government of India.
INDIA NO LONGER WEAK, IT IS STRONG AND WELL-EQUIPPED TO DEAL WITH ALL CHALLENGES—RAKSHA MANTRI
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, India has been transformed into a strong, confident and self-reliant nation which is fully equipped to deal with all kinds of threats and challenges. This was stated by Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh at a function in Udaipur on August 30, 2022. He stated that the steps taken by the Government in the last eight years have injected a new confidence into the Armed Forces. He asserted that India has neither attacked any country, nor has it captured an inch of foreign land, but if anyone ever tries to harm the sovereignty, unity and integrity of the Nation, a befitting reply will be given. The Raksha Mantri asserted that the foundation of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ has been laid under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and this strong and self-reliant ‘New India’ is moving shoulder-to-shoulder with powerful countries.
MOD APPROVES 3RD POSITIVE INDIGENISATION LIST OF 780 STRATEGICALLY IMPORTANT LINE REPLACEMENT UNITS/SUB-SYSTEMS/COMPONENTS
In continuous pursuit of self-reliance in defence manufacturing and to minimise imports by DPSUs under ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’, Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh has approved the third Positive Indigenisation List (PIL) of 780 strategically important Line Replacement Units/Sub-systems/Components with a timeline beyond which they will only be procured from the domestic industry. Details of these items are available on SRIJAN Portal (www.srijandefence.gov.in). This list is in continuation to the two PILs that were published in December 2021 and March 2022.
KEEL LAID FOR FIRST WARSHIP OF ASW SWC PROJECT
Keel laying of the first warship (BY 523, Mahe) of Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Craft (ASW SWC) project under construction by CSL, Kochi, was undertaken on August 30, 2022. Keel laying is a major milestone activity in the shipbuilding process and paves way for amalgamation of various blocks towards fully constructed ship. Such platforms will undertake sub-surface surveillance in coastal areas with the purpose of detecting and neutralizing underwater threats.
