For the first time, a MiG-29K fighter aircraft made a night landing on the indigenously built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, in what the Indian Navy described as a “historic milestone”. The Navy said the “challenging” night landing test demonstrated the resolve, skill and professionalism of the crew of INS Vikrant and the pilots of the Navy. The night landing of the Russian-origin MiG-29K took place on Wednesday night when the ship was sailing in the Arabian Sea. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the Indian Navy for the successful maiden night trial of the MiG-29K at INS Vikrant.
Singh tweeted, “Congratulations to the Indian Navy for successfully completing the maiden night landing test of MiG-29K on #INSVikrant. This remarkable achievement is a testimony to the skill, tenacity and professionalism of the Vikrant crew and Navy pilots. Congratulations to them.” ” , In a statement, the Navy said the aircraft carrier is currently undergoing “air certification and flight integration trials” with rotary wing and fixed wing aircraft to achieve “combat ready” status at the earliest.
#Indian Navy Another historic feat achieved by MiG-29K’s maiden night landing @IN_R11Vikrant indicating the enthusiasm of the Navy towards #aatmanirbharta,#AatmaNirbharBharat@PMOIndia @DefenceMinIndia pic.twitter.com/HUAVYBCnTH— spokespersonnavy (@indiannavy) May 25, 2023
“As part of the trials, first day landing of MiG-29K and indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (Navy) was achieved on 6 February. Since then, day and night landing trials of all helicopters in Navy inventory have progressed it said.
“In continuation of the thrust on flight trials, the Navy has achieved another historic feat on May 24 with the maiden night landing of a MiG-29K,” the Navy said.
It said this “challenging achievement” within three months of landing on the first day demonstrates the determination, skill and professionalism of the Indian Navy, Vikrant crew and Navy pilots. The Navy said that INS Vikrant is a “big boost” to the government’s ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India) vision.
In February, a prototype of the naval version of the Russian-origin MiG-29K and the indigenously developed Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas jets made a daytime landing on the aircraft carrier.
In September last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi commissioned India’s first indigenously built aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, making the country part of an elite group of nations capable of building aircraft carriers above the 40,000 tonne class.
The Navy had said that the aircraft carrier would be able to play a role in ensuring peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. Built at a cost of around Rs 23,000 crore, INS Vikrant has a sophisticated air defense network and anti-ship missile systems. It has the capacity to hold 30 fighter jets and helicopters.
At the commissioning ceremony of the vessel, Prime Minister Modi called it a “floating city” and said it was a reflection of India becoming self-reliant in the defense sector. The night landing of the MiG-29K aircraft took place as part of flight tests on the aircraft carrier.
INS Vikrant has over 2,300 compartments, designed for a crew of about 1,700, including special cabins to accommodate women officers. It has a maximum speed of approximately 28 knots and a cruising speed of 18 knots with an endurance of approximately 7,500 nautical miles. The ship is 262 meters long, 62 meters wide and has a height of 59 metres.