After INS Vikrant, work has started on the 2nd aircraft carrier: Rajnath Singh

New Delhi:

After the launch of the domestically built INS Vikrant, India has started work on its second aircraft carrier, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday.

Speaking on the ‘Agenda Aaj Tak’ programme, Mr Singh said India became the seventh country in the world to build an aircraft carrier when it recently launched INS Vikrant.

“When India became independent, not even a needle was made in the country. In 2022, we will build a huge aircraft carrier like INS Vikrant,” said the defense minister.

He said that a few years ago no one would have believed that India was capable of such a thing.

“After the US, UK, France, Germany, China and Japan, India is the only seventh country that can build an aircraft carrier,” Singh said.

“Hamaredoosre aircraft carrier ka bhi kaam prarambh ho gaya hai (work on our second aircraft carrier has begun),” the minister said.

He emphasized that the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant has achieved 73-74 percent indigenization.

Currently, India operates two aircraft carriers: the Russian-built INS Vikramaditya and the domestically built INS Vikrant, a 40,000-ton vessel.

Last week, Navy Chief Admiral R. Hari Kumar said the Navy was considering a repeat assignment for INS Vikrant to take advantage of available expertise in the country.

Mr Kumar said the navy was not yet committed to building the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier-2, a heavier vessel with a displacement of 65,000 tons.

Mr Singh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called on companies to ‘Make in India’ and ‘Make for the World’ under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.

He said Tata-Airbus in India has laid the foundation for the production of the C-295 transport aircraft, which will also be exported to other countries.

Mr Singh said India’s defense exports had already reached Rs 14,000 crore this year and would reach Rs 19,000 crore by the end of 2023.

The defense minister said India has set the target of Rs 25,000 in defense exports by 2024-25.

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