Indian Navy beefs armada with aircraft carrier, choppers |
The Indian Navy on 28th July took delivery of the country`s first indigenously built aircraft carrier `Vikrant` from its manufacturer, Cochin Shipyard Ltd, ahead of its scheduled commissioning next month. The aircraft carrier, built at a cost of around Rs 20,000 crores or nearly US$ 2.5 billion, successfully completed the fourth and final phase of sea trials three weeks back.This puts India in a select group of nations having the niche capability to indigenously design and build an aircraft carrier. The commissioning of the indigenous aircraft carrier is historic as it coincides with 75th anniversary of India`s independence. Meanwhile, Indian Navy has also received two of the 24 MH-60 `Romeo` multi-mission helicopters from the US, in a boost to its overall combat capabilities. All 24 all-weather helicopters will be armed with Hellfire missiles and lethal rocket systems. Another helicopter is scheduled to be delivered next month. The first three MH 60 `Romeo` helicopters were delivered in the US in 2021 and are being used for training of the Indian Navy crew, they said. MH-60R helicopter manufactured by Lockheed Martin Corporation is an all-weather helicopter designed to support multiple missions with state-of-the-art avionics and sensors. India is procuring the choppers as part of an around Rs 15,000-crore deal with the US government under the framework of foreign military sales. The Navy said the helicopters significantly boost the integral anti-submarine warfare capability in roles including anti-submarine warfare, anti-ship strike, specialized maritime operations as well as search and rescue operations.
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