India has launched its first domestically produced aircraft carrier as it seeks to counter China’s growing naval power.
The country wants to expand its manufacturing capabilities in manufacturing of military equipment and stop being dependent on foreign countries.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the 262-meter-long, 60-meter-wide carrier, called Vikrant or “courageous,” at a ceremony in the southern state of Kerala on Friday. Its launching is part of events commemorating India’s 75th year of independence.
Underlining India’s entry into a select group of countries capable of building such a vessel, Modi said that the Vikrant has filled the country with a new confidence.
“It’s a historic day and landmark achievement,” he said. “It is an example of the government’s thrust to make India’s defense sector self-reliant.”
Modi’s government has put emphasis on building a domestic defense hardware industry to reduce the country’s huge dependence on foreign weaponry – India is among the world’s largest arms importers. More than two dozen naval ships and submarines are being built in the country’s