When the Indian Navy’s pride, INS Vikrant, sliced through the Arabian Sea this Diwali with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on board, it wasn’t just another festive celebration at sea. It marked the story of how India, in a few short years, turned decades of shipbuilding dreams into reality and emerged as a maritime power ready to define the Indian Ocean’s future. Speaking to the sailors and officers during the sea sortie, PM Modi said that celebrating Diwali aboard INS Vikrant symbolized “the light of the nation’s strength and the courage of those guarding the seas.” His words perfectly captured the moment, a living embodiment of Atmanirbharta sailing across the waves.
The journey of INS Vikrant began not with grandeur but with grit back in 2009 at Cochin Shipyard, when its keel was laid. For years, Indian engineers, designers, and craftsmen worked relentlessly to bring this massive ship to life. Launched in 2013 and finally commissioned in 2022, the 45,000-tonne vessel now stands as an engineering marvel. Designed by India’s own Warship Design Bureau and built using 76 percent indigenous content, Vikrant carries stories from over 550 companies and 100 MSMEs, all intertwined in steel, literally, 30,000 tonnes of it from Steel Authority of India Limited. For every plank welded and every turbine installed, India stepped closer to proving that world-class shipbuilding could thrive on its own shores.
Earlier, India’s aircraft carriers came from foreign lands, always imported, always dependent. But the new INS Vikrant has changed that script completely. Today, it represents the new India, confident, self-sufficient, and technologically mature. The ship carried out its first sea trials in 2021, and soon after commissioning in 2022, it started defining a new chapter for the Indian Navy. Manned by 1,600 personnel and capable of hosting up to 30 aircraft, including MiG-29K, Kamov-31, Chetak, ALH, and MH-60R helicopters, Vikrant turned from a dream into a deadly symphony of sea power. Its four gas turbines generate enough power to electrify 5,000 homes, speaking volumes about the scale and strength it embodies.
In the few years since its commissioning, INS Vikrant has proven itself more than a symbol; it has become an active participant in India’s naval evolution. It has hosted major demonstrations, carried out night operations, and even performed emergency evacuations such as the March 2025 rescue of injured sailors from the Panama-flagged MV Heilan Star. It participated in global maritime events like Milan 2024 and major bilateral exercises such as Varuna 2025 with the French Navy. These are not just military milestones; they are testaments to the operational maturity and global respect the Indian Navy now commands.
The ship’s growing legacy is deeply linked to India’s regional vision, SAGAR, or “Security and Growth for All in the Region.” INS Vikrant has already proven to be a crucial asset in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operations. With its immense power generation capability, aviation facilities, and onboard medical infrastructure, it can turn into a floating command center or hospital when disaster strikes. The Sea King helicopter’s emergency mission to rescue the crew of MV Heilan Star proves how defense capability and humanity can sail together. India’s Navy, anchored by Vikrant, is increasingly becoming the “first responder” for the Indian Ocean region, a role that strengthens its diplomatic and humanitarian presence as much as its strategic one.
Looking at the broader picture, the story of INS Vikrant also mirrors a larger national transformation. Since 2014, Indian shipyards have delivered over 40 warships and submarines, proving that India’s defense shipbuilding is not an experiment anymore but an ongoing revolution. With massive partners like BEL, BHEL, L&T, Kirloskar, and over a hundred MSMEs joining hands, India has become self-sufficient even in warship-grade steel production, a feat once considered impossible.
What lies ahead for Vikrant and India’s Navy is even more promising. With plans already approved for a second indigenous carrier and strategic acquisitions like the ₹63,000 crore Rafale-Marine deal with France, the Indian Navy is strengthening not just its firepower but also its technological depth. INS Vikrant and its forthcoming Rafale-M fighters will work together with INS Vikramaditya as twin pillars of maritime dominance. This dual-carrier capacity ensures India’s eastern and western seaboards remain secure while signalling to the world that India can project power, peace, and partnership far beyond its shores.
Today, INS Vikrant stands where history and future meet. From the legacy of its namesake, which fought in the 1971 war, the new Vikrant has sailed into a new century of confidence. As it glides through the waters, hosting celebrations, conducting missions, and showcasing capability, it carries not just aircraft but the weight of national pride. It tells a story of how a nation once reliant on others now builds vessels that carry its destiny. The ocean once looked too vast; now, it looks like home.
