Indian Naval sailors stand on the deck of aircraft carrier INS Viraat during a the Fleet Review (PFR-11) in Mumbai on December 20, 2011. PHOTO: AFP
The event to be attended by senior defence officials and diplomats will mark India's entry into an elite club of nations including Britain, France, Russia and the United States that design and build their own aircraft carriers.
"It took us seven to eight years to design it," the navy's chief designer A.K. Saxena said, referring to the project launched in 2009 as "complex and challenging".
The launch is due to take place just days after India announced Saturday its first indigenously-built nuclear submarine was ready for sea trials -- a step before it becomes fully operational -- and called it a "giant stride" for the nation.
India's government is spending tens of billions of dollars upgrading its mainly Soviet-era military hardware as it bolsters its defences in a hostile neighbourhood.
India unveiled the 6,000-tonne INS Arihant -- Destroyer of Enemies -- in 2009 as part of a project to built five such vessels which would be armed with nuclear-tipped missiles and torpedoes.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Saturday he was "delighted to learn that the nuclear propulsion reactor on board INS Arihant, India's first indigenous nuclear powered submarine, has now achieved criticality".
Criticality refers to the point at which a nuclear reaction is self-sustaining.
The new 40,000-tonne aircraft carrier to be launched in the southern port city of Cochin Monday sets a new global standard in terms of size and complexity, the defence ministry says.
After final fitting of equipment and extensive trials, the carrier is due to join the navy by 2018.
It will ply the seas alongside the former Russian carrier Admiral Gorshkov, now the INS Vikramaditya, due to be delivered by year-end after a delay of more than four years.
Russia in 2011 handed over the 8,140-tonne nuclear-powered attack submarine Nerpa to India following more than two years of delays.
India currently has one aircraft carrier -- a 60-year-old British vessel acquired by India in 1987 and renamed INS Viraat.
According to KPMG consultancy, India will spend $112 billion on capital defence acquisitions between 2010 and 2016.
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@Vikas:
For your info, go to wikipedia.com and check what are you saying? Why you want to downsize our acheivement? Be a proudy Indian, my boy. Dil hain Hindustani
No air craft carrier travels at 4000-5000 km/h. Where did you get your facts from?
@Vikas:
I am not Pakisthani. I am Indian from Kerala. In case, you doesn't know, it is in South India.
@ arif Your coments clearly show you are Pakistani and try to being sarcastic.
It is the world's largest air craft carrier and technology most advanced. Although a secret, there are reports that it can carry up to 60 submarines in it underwater surface. In addition, it can travel up to 4000-5000 km/h. It also has intra-receptor missiles that can intercept any kind of missile. India will also be operating drone planes from the air craft carrier and taking out terrorists like it has done in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia. The world can count on India to make the world a better and green. Beware PAkistan, Beaware!
india ahead of china.
hey I m from kerela I was there at the dock in cochi believe it was huge it was really gigantic. I could not believe into my eyes it was so huge. Even I was miles away it looked so stunning due to its size and beauty. Beauty with mighty cooool. INDIA rocks.
hey u guys dont talk about wasting money have enough money left with us. U guys even get afraid of INDIAN movies u ban them if they fall on the same dates of ur movies. Remember we r the 4th largest economy of the world. 4th most advansed in spase technology. 3rd best in defence technology, not by population but best in advansment in tech. Our cities like Delhi and Bangalore can compete with any european cities. Our institutions r the best in the world like IIT. U have nothing with u.
@Mohammed Ali: I don’t know Why India is wasting money in this When there is no threat from Pakistan Navy. Instead they can utilise this in: 1). Build toilets to the 50% Indians. 2). Provide food to 40% Indians below Poverty line. 3). Give Education to 30% Indians who are uneducated.
I don't the from where you got this information, but not surprised to see a pakistani taking stock of Indian toilets. As per latest report India's poverty has reduced to 22% while in Pakistan It has increased to 40% of its population. India's literacy rate in 2013 is 84% where as Pakistan's literacy rate is just 56%and still you think pakistan is better than India
@Rahul: Well, 'Wisdom India' is worried about the Indian people (800 million+ who use the outdoors) getting fascinated with the idea of relieving themselves on your aircraft carrier. And I think it is more of a 'habitual' problem than an 'economic' one. They are just intrigued and are being creative in their own disgusting way. I am sure the aircraft carrier has several hygienic problems already....
cmn people it is not for a naval wing of pakistan army....it is to safeguard against ur all weather friend
Build an expensive aircraft carrier that isn't really needed? Of course now you have to build an expensive fleet of support ships to protect it. Might be great for the ego but in a country where most of the people don't have access to toilets, clean drinking water, education and other "basics" this type of expenditure is unwise. Both India and Pakistan should come to grips with the fact that they are 3'rd World countries and nukes, cruise missiles and aircraft carriers aren't doing anything to change that fact.
A good read for all Pakistanis:
http://www.defensenews.com/article/20130618/DEFREG03/306180027/Analysts-Pakistan-Budget-Hike-Provides-Little
Now stop your chest beating.
@Pakistani nuclear missile: We are Ninth Largest Economy in the World. And we are still growing.The day you will bring your head out of toilet you might start improving your economy and living conditions. I am not comparing but the world at the time of our Independence said that India would be a failed state because it is too complex and diverse.On the other hand Pakistan was only meant for Muslims with small population and was not as complex as India, and was thought to be a successful one. Today it proved the other way around. Please think on that !! Why it happened and who is responsible for it ? Please think for once.
Pakistanis instead of congratulating India for its achievements, use "toilets" as an excuse. Shows their true IQ. Well done Pakistanis
Now we will have to import one from US or France and paint that to green of Pakistan. We just can't see India making and purchasing all this modern warfare stuff despite being a very tiny country compared to them. O wait, let China make this first and then we will purchase one from our all weather friend.
Go and cry to your papa( china) !
To all those from Pakistan, agree, education expenditure must go up but trust me, if Pakistanis invested more in WESTERN education instead of Saudi funded Wahhabi extremist schools, we'd never have to worry about a war between our nations ever again.
@Pakistani nuclear missile We can cut off of the water supply and even cut off sea lines of communication for Pakistan. Better start worrying about that because BJP is coming to power in 2014.
air craft carrier does not affect Pakistan. it is required if some navy has to operate in some other sea. Pakistani aircrafts can reach all parts of indian coast without requiring air craft carrier. Having an air craft carrier is just like having a white elephent as pet. u need dozen of ships for just its protection becoz it is large in size and a very easy target for missiles, aircrafts and submarines. and last but not the least, it require millions of rupees for maintenance on daily basis. so best of luck for all this
@Adeel: "No matter how big this carrier is, the ultimate victory comes from Lord Almighty!" Lord Almighty did not hand over drone technology to Americans. You have to be able to be in the "receiving mode" before He hands you the victory. @Indian Wisdom: "This will help in keeping Indian Ocean stable and peaceful……." It is not for the Indian Ocean but the South Pacific as Chinese have already realized. @Vikas: " Some people do start believing lie when told 100 times. Hitler was right. :-)" It was not Hitler who said that but his Propaganda Minister, Goebbels.
@Vikas: Indians would be better off building toilets for the masses than worrying about these toys, which only big guys play around with. India is not that big yet :)
No matter how big this carrier is, the ultimate victory comes from Lord Almighty! Having a big naval carrier just might make these Indian visitor on ET page happy:)
I don't know Why India is wasting money in this When there is no threat from Pakistan Navy. Instead they can utilise this in:
1). Build toilets to the 50% Indians. 2). Provide food to 40% Indians below Poverty line. 3). Give Education to 30% Indians who are uneducated.
Regards,
Mr Wisdom Indian .. I m sure your not indian,because Pakistani's are always intrested in Toilets(Looks like their love toilets alot). Indian govt is already developing Bio Toilets along with DRDO and Even bill gates has spoking about this project. It is already being installed in may villages and it willl cover all the villages of india by 2016.
when will we pakistanis launch our own aircraft carrier
Now you can hear the usual rants about "poverty and toilet" issues in India from our Pakistani bros after reading this.................
@Indian Wisdom: Our Government should also build toilets for our masses, that is also strategically and economically very important.....
All projects cost are over run. Remember NASA was famous for this. Now people talk about achievement of NASA and not those cost over runs. Think this additional cost as employee training, skills development, establishing supply chain management and cost for nation building. Costs will go down and the quality will improve with time. All new products come with ideas. When Tata decided to build Nano it had to rethink engineering to lower the cost and weight. In the end Tata came up with a product and number of patents.
Why are Indians always on Pakistani newspapers? I've never seen the vice versa. Shame TET posts the comments considering it is an liberal fascist like Ali Azmat said. Shame on sell-outs.
Congratulations to the team involved!!!!! Indian Ocean is one of the most important oceans strategically and economically. This will help in keeping Indian Ocean stable and peaceful.......
These toys are not meant for Pakistan, as Pakistan Navy is almost non-existent. Pakistanis will now start pointing towards their Navy famous role in 1965. Some people do start believing lie when told 100 times. Hitler was right. :-)
Been there 3 months ago & watched that Magnification Giant under construction, blv me that is huge (even though i was far 2-3 miles away from that beast)