India has successfully built its first domestically-built aircraft carrier, the INS Vikrant. However, many experts argue that India still needs a second aircraft carrier and it is agreed by the Indian Navy to build a second aircraft carrier, INS Vishal, or what is also known as Indigenous Aircraft Carrier 2 (IAC-2). Why is that?
Since independence on 15 August 1947, India has operated three aircraft carriers; The INS Vikrant weighs 19 thousand tons, the INS Viraat weighs 28 thousand tons, the INS Vikramaditya weighs 44,000 tons, and the second INS Vikrant, which will be handed over from Cochin Shipyard Ltd to the Indian Navy in the near future.
Of these, the two initial carriers, the INS Vikrant and the INS Viraat, are retired. Practically, India currently operates only one carrier INS Vikramaditya and will add another one when the second INS Vikrant is officially operational.
An aircraft carrier can generally carry one fighter jet per 1,000 tonnes. That means, India's first aircraft carrier, the original INS Vikrant, could not accommodate more than a squadron of fighter aircraft (16-18 aircraft), including carrying 4-5 helicopters, for various vital tasks such as anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and warning. early and air control (AEWC).
Furthermore, India's sole aircraft carrier, INS Vikramaditya, which actually weighs 44 thousand tons, means it cannot carry more than 25 fighter jets. This makes the essence or purpose of the existence of an aircraft carrier, which is to bring as many fighter jets to the battlefield as possible, unattainable.
As a result, the supremacy of air and control of the sea was not achieved with the presence of an aircraft carrier. It is also exacerbated by the inadequacy of fighter jets, destroyers, frigates, corvettes, and submarines accompanying aircraft carriers.
With the various facts above, that's the answer why the Indian Navy is said to need the IAC-2. Its weight must also be higher than the IAC-1, reaching 65 thousand tons.
It said the second carrier, INS Vishal or IAC-2, was built by the domestic shipyard, Cochin Shipyard, with technical and tactical consultations from the United States Navy (US Navy). Currently, India and the US have formed a Pokja or Joint Working Group for technology transfer.
With a weight of 65 thousand tons, the INS Vishal aircraft carrier is capable of carrying around 55 fighter jets, including several helicopters. The question is, what fighter jets and helicopters will equip the carrier?
India is known to have ordered MiG-29K and MiG-29K/KUB from Russia and Dassault Rafale from France for the carriers INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya. However, this is considered not to make them stronger in warding off enemy attacks and at the same time attacking them quickly.
Learning from this, the carrier INS Vishal, which incidentally has been under construction since it has received assistance from the US, is likely to be armed with fighter jets and other Hanuds from the US. So far, India is reportedly going to choose the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.
The Super Hornet will go hand in hand with the E/A-18G Growler, an electronic warfare (EW) specialist aircraft capable of blinding radar and enhancing defense capabilities, during operations.
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