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  In the evolving landscape of global maritime power, India has taken a bold step with the commissioning of INS Vikrant , the country’s first indigenous aircraft carrier. This monumental achievement signifies not just a leap in India’s naval capabilities but a crucial pivot in its maritime strategy. In this article, we will explore why INS Vikrant is a game-changer for India, the role of aircraft carriers in modern warfare, and the future trajectory of India’s carrier fleet. Why Are Aircraft Carriers Crucial in Modern Warfare? Aircraft carriers are floating airbases, offering unparalleled power projection and strategic advantage . In modern warfare, the significance of these behemoths extends beyond combat to shaping global influence. Power Projection: Aircraft carriers enable nations to project power far from their shores. For India, which aims to secure its interests in the Indo-Pacific region , carriers provide a mobile platform for launching offensive and defensive operation...

INS Tabar ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons / Author- Deepak Gupta) Source- The National Interest Author- Dave Majumdar Russia is hoping to sell three of its six planned Project 11356-class frigates to India. Moscow is hoping to rid itself of those ships because of their Ukrainian-built engines. The Russian Navy commissioned the first Project 11356 frigate—Admiral Grigorovich—into service last week. While the Russian Navy is expecting to commission two additional Project 11356 frigates into service in May and August, both of these vessels—Admiral Essen and Admiral Makarov—will stay under Moscow’s control and serve with the Russian Black Sea Fleet. The remaining three vessels—which are still under construction—are likely going to be sold to India since New Delhi still has functional relations with Ukraine. A final decision on selling the ships, however, has yet to be made by Moscow. “So far, we are fulfilling the works under state defense order and building t...

Image credits- Indian navy Source- The Diplomat Author- Harsh V. Pant The Indian Navy underlined its growing prowess at the International Fleet Review (IFR) 2016 last week. Though it was largely a ceremonial inspection of naval warships by the Indian president, it provided an opportunity to the Indian Navy to showcase its might and rapidly expanding capabilities. It was in 2001 that an event of such a scale was last held in India and since then the Indian Navy’s participating contingent has only grown bigger, with 75 frontline ships and submarines in attendance, in addition to 24 ships and delegations from over 50 nations including Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, France, Indonesia, Iran, Maldives, the United Kingdom and the United States. Flagging the threat of sea-borne terror and piracy as two key challenges to maritime security and underlining the need to respect freedom of navigation against the backdrop of South China Sea dispute, Indian Prime Minister Nare...

INS Kolkata ( Image credits- Indian navy) As Indian navy undertakes rapid modernisation and transformation, it is time to look at some of the ships and their capabilities which will play the leading role or the Indian navy for decades to come. Each week we feature a class of ships that is entering series with the Indian navy or are planned for the future. We begin with the Kolkata class destroyer which is comparable to the best in the world. A stealthy boat by design, Kolkata along with the upcoming Visakhapatinam class will play a vital role for the Indian navy for the next three decades.  The Kolkata class: The Kolkata class (Project 15A) are a class of stealth guided missile destroyers constructed for the Indian Navy. The class comprises three ships – Kolkata, Kochi and Chennai, all of which are being built by Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) in India, and are the largest destroyers to be operated by the Indian Navy. Due to delays in their construction, and a problem fou...

Indian navy flotilla ( Image credits- Indian Navy) Source- The National Interest Author- Zachary Keck India aspires to have a 200-ship navy by 2027, a senior naval official revealed this week. According to India’s Economic Times, Admiral P. Murugesan, the vice chief of India’s naval staff, said that the navy is seeking to have 200 warships operational by 2027, up from just 137 at present. “The senior officer shared that the aspiration of the Navy—which currently has 48 ships under construction on various shipyards across the nation—is to become a 200 ship navy by 2027. At present, the Navy operates 137 combatants with new ships being added at a rate of 4-5 a year,” the Economic Times report said. This means that India’s shipyards will have to ramp up production in the coming years, especially when factoring in that some of India’s current warships will have to be retired by 2027. A more likely scenario is that India will purchase more foreign ships in the year...