Indian Navy – Aircraft Carriers

Aircraft Carriers

INS Vikrant and Viraat Mumbai 2010.jpg
INS Vikrant (at bottom) and INS Viraat together in Mumbai.

INS Vikrant IAC-1 (2022) fitting out LOA 860′ / 262.1 m TDISP 40,000 tons (length sees to be close to 875′ / 266.7 m) . Protracted development, with the carrier under construction since 2013.

IAC-1_Vikrant_going_for_its_maiden_sea_trials
IAC-1 Vikrant on sea trials, Aug. 2021. Credit: Indian Navy, GODL-India , via Wikimedia Commons

INS Vikrant IAC-1 Kochi 2022

INS Vikrant IAC-1 Kochi 2021

Kiev Class (heavily modified) LOA 930′ / 283.5 m TDISP 45,400 tons (1 active)

INS Vikramaditya (2013 ex-Russian Admiral Gorshkov) see Russian listing for pre-conversion views. Converted from an aircraft cruiser to a full carrier.INS Vikramadaditya Kadamba 2017.jpg

Centaur class light fleet carrier LOA 744′ / 226.8 m TDISP 28,000 tons

INS Viraat R-22 (1987-2017) (ex-HMS Hermes – Veteran of Falklands War) (1959-1984 in British service). Despite considerable efforts to have this ship preserved, it was scrapped during 2021. See our post for more detail about the British and Indian career of this long-service, important carrier.

HMS HERMES PREPARED IN CASE OF FALL OUT. JUNE 1966, AERIAL PHOTO AT SEA DURING WORKING UP OF THE CARRIER AFTER HMS HERMES' LONG REFIT.
HMS Hermes 1966 activating anti-fallout spray. This was long before the installation of the “Ski jump” to operate Harrier jump jets in 1981 © IWM (A 35041)

INS Viraat Mumbai 2020

Exercise Malabar 2007
INS Viraat R-22 during Exercise Malabar 2007 US Navy Official 60247
050925-N-0413R-043
INS Viraat R-22 NARA 330-CFD-DN-SD-06-05771 PH3 Shannon E. Renfroe, USN

Majestic class light fleet carrier LOA 700′ / 213.4 m TDISP 19,500 tons

INS Vikrant R-11 (1961 – 1997). Originally British carrier, planned to be HMS Hercules, left incomplete 1945 – 1957, when the vessel was sold to India and completed with numerous updates, including an angled flight deck. Museum ship 1997-2010, then scrapped 2015. See our post on the end of this historic carrier.

DN-SN-88-09660
Aerial view of INS Vikrant R-11, 1987 NARA 330-CFD-DN-SN-88-09660

INS Vikrant Mumbai 2010

INS Vikrant and Viraat Kerala 2015

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