India's First Aircraft Carrier INS Vikrant To Accommodate MiG-29K 'Black Panther' Squadron Onboard

Arming the INS Vikrant is the naval version MiG-29K before the purchase of the Rafale/Super Hornet is complete. Vikrant is an India-made aircraft carrier with a ski-jump ramp.The Indian aircraft carrier's length is 262-meters length and a 62.4-meter width flight deck and made up of locally produced equipment, and it cost $2.5 billion, noted India Today.

Indian Fleet's Mainstay

The carrier enables a variant of the Fulcrum jet and has served in the Indian Air Force (IAF) for quite some time. This aircraft carrier has room for up to 35 aircraft. Out of the aircraft carrier, the MiG-29 jet will conduct anti-air, anti-surface, and land attack missions, citing the Hindustan Time.

The MiG-29, an all-weather fighter that can go as fast as Mach 2, or double the speed of sound, has a maximum height of more than 65,000 feet and can pull up to 8 Gs' in flight. It could attack targets on land, sea, and air, reported EurAsian Times.

Using its ability to refuel from another aircraft in the air, it can fly farther to complete crucial missions.

Meet the Black Panther Squadron

Indian Navy's Black Panthers, also identified as INAS 303, represented an era of fighter flying, earning them the nickname game-changer. The unit is stationed at INS Hansa in Goa.

The capability to carry out air dominance and power projection tasks simultaneously provide the fleet commander at sea with significant flexibility.

As deployable aircraft for the INS Vikrant deck includes Russian, American, and Indian fixed-wing or rotorcraft. The K in the naval version MiG-29K stands for Korabelny, a 4.5-generation fighter, as opposed to the MiG-29B variant, which is less capable for aerial missions.

Russia delivered 45 MiG-29K/KUB fighters to India in two batches. The second set of 29 planes was delivered in 2016. The first batch of 16 jets was provided in 2011. The purchase of 21 MiG-29s and upgrades to 59 MiG-29s, totalling 7418 crores (approximately $1 billion), was approved in 2020.

State-owned defence contractor Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is testing the new computer for its carrier-borne fighter. Such a system can merge Soviet-era planes with air-launched armaments of domestic and international fabrication.

The project supposedly started in January 2021 when Russia declined to revamp the mission computer or even provide HAL with the source code, according to a source involved with the project in the sector.

Preparing the 2nd Indian Navy Carrier

It will take five to six months to have the Vikrant ready for combat, with the warship fitted with surface-to-air Barack missiles and the jet conducting sorties. The missile tests will start in November and cease in May of 2023.

The Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), in collaboration with the Defense Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) and the Navy, created 26,000 tons of warship-grade steel for the carrier superstructure. This kind of steel is now used for all Indian warships.

Powering the Vikrant are quad General Electric LM2500 engines, capable of 28 knots with a range of 7500 nautical miles. The crew comprises 2200 compartments for 1600 people, with rooms for women and sailors.

Adding the new carrier can be available while another is docked, one sail, and another is maintained. For now, the naval version MiG-29K will be the squadron on the INS Vikrant until the other planes are delivered due to the requirements of maritime aviation.