Basin trials of IAC successful

The dream project enters final phase. Sea trials planned for first half of 2021

The basin trials of indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC) were successfully conducted at Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) on November 30. The trials were carried out in the presence of Vice Admiral AK Chawla, the Flag Officer Commandingin-Chief Southern Naval Command and Madhu S Nair, the Chairman and Managing Director of CSL.

With the successful completion of the basin trials, IAC has entered the final phase of the project. The sea trials are planned for the first half of 2021 and it is only a matter of time that IAC would be sailing the high seas bearing the national tricolour. Despite the restrictions imposed by the lockdown due to Covid-19 pandemic, CSL and Indian Navy worked as a cohesive team to ensure timely completion of all essential tasks leading up to basin trials of aircraft carrier. Thanks to astute planning and implementation of necessary safety measure on ground by the Navy and Shipyard, the work on-board aircraft carrier could progress unhindered even during the peak of the pandemic. Basin trials are primarily aimed at proving the main propulsion plant of the ship in harbour and are a precursor to the ensuing sea trials. On-board the IAC, extensive trials of all four LM2500 gas turbines, main gear boxes, shafting and controllable pitch propellers, along with their integrated control systems, were carried out during these trials. In addition, major auxiliary equipment and systems such as steering gear, air conditioning plants, compressors, centrifuges, all 60 critical pumps, fire main system, power generation and distribution system, major machinery firefighting and de-flooding systems, all deck machinery as well as entire internal communication equipment were also proved during the harbour trials phase.

Also present on the occasion were N V Suresh Babu, Director Operations, CSL, Commodore Ishan Tandon, Director Carrier Acceptance Trial Team (CATT), Commodore Sameer Aggarwal, Chief Staff Officer (Technical) of Southern Naval Command, Commodore Cyril Thomas, Warship Production Superintendent (WPS) and Commodore Vivek Dahiya, Commanding Officer (Designated). The IAC project is also an example of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ with close to 75% of the material and equipment on-board the IAC being indigenous. These include raw material such as 23000 tonnes of steel, 2500 Kilometers of electrical cables, 150 kilometers of pipes and 2000 valves as well as finished products such as anchor capstans, rigid hull boats and LCVPs, galley equipment, air conditioning and refrigeration plants, steering gear, RO plants, main switchboards, energy distribution centres, more than 150 pumps and motors, AK 630 guns, chaff launchers, internal and external communication equipment, all network systems including ship data network, integrated platform management system and combat management system.

Further, over 50 Indian manufacturers have been directly involved in this project which has provided significant employment opportunities for citizens.

Close to 2000 Indians received direct employment onboard IAC on a daily basis and over 40,000 received indirect employment. In addition, about 80-85% of the project cost of approximately Rs.20,000 crores has been ploughed back into the Indian economy.