Indian Prime Minister Modi visited the indigenous aircraft carrier "Vikrant," and the Indian Navy conducted a flight display with three MiG-29K "Airfield Defenders."
This aircraft carrier is called a "global-built" carrier, as it integrates technologies and equipment from multiple countries. Its power system comes from General Electric of the United States, its carrier-based aircraft are mainly Russia's MiG-29K, and its carrier-based phased array radar comes from Israel. The design work on this aircraft carrier started in 1999, and construction officially began in 2005. When it was first launched in 2013, the completion rate was only about 30%. It then underwent multiple launches, mainly to free up the dry dock for other projects at the shipyard. This construction process is quite rare in the history of building large warships worldwide. It wasn't until August 2021 that the Vikrant aircraft carrier began its first sea trials. Finally, it was commissioned in September 2022.
The Indian Navy is not satisfied with the performance of the current MiG-29K carrier-based aircraft. They once considered purchasing the French "Rafale-M" or the American F/A-18 "Super Hornet," but these aircraft may not match the size of the carrier's elevators and hangar doors, posing challenges for future upgrades. India's self-developed "Tejas" carrier-based aircraft has also successfully completed takeoff and landing on the carrier, but its performance and application prospects still need to be observed.
Original article: www.toutiao.com/article/1846500863620171/
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