Sea trials have begun of India’s first indigenously designed and built aircraft carrier, the medium-class Vikrant, with the expectations of it being formally commissioned sometime in 2022. It is only on being formally commissioned that it will bear the designation INS Vikrant, INS being a short for Indian Naval Ship.

The induction of the Vikrant, in the making since 1999, when it was first approved on paper, promises to fulfill the Indian Navy’s long-felt need for a second aircraft carrier as it grows its maritime muscles in the Indian ocean and beyond.

The implications of the Vikrant not just for India’s national security but how it might begin to even the maritime balance in the region but also how its main rival China might view it are explained by C Uday Bhaskar, one of India’s most respected security, defense and strategic affairs experts, in an interview with Mayank Chhaya Reports.

Uday, a retired Indian navy commodore, is a widely published commentator and speaker on a range of defense, security and strategic issues.

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