“Defence Minister Lauds Indian Navy’s Overseas Operations; Mulls Second Aircraft Carrier”

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has praised the Indian Navy for their numerous operations in foreign waters. In an exclusive interview to PTI, he called it a “miracle” (karishma) and congratulated the force for their assistance to several merchant ships that were commandeered or threatened by pirates.

The minister also hinted that the government is ready to consider the Navy’s proposal for a second aircraft carrier. The Navy has been advocating for the second indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC-II) with a displacement of 45,000 tonnes, which is estimated to cost close to Rs 40,000 crore with the envisaged specifications.

Singh expressed confidence that the National Democratic Alliance would retain power for a third straight term. He said that the new government’s focus would be to make India self-reliant in the defence sector. The minister also mentioned that India’s annual defence exports crossed the Rs 21,000 crore mark for the first time in 2023-24 and set a target of increasing it to Rs 50,000 crore in the next five-six years.

Singh praised the Indian Navy’s operations in the strategic waterways, where the force has assisted several merchant vessels in the Western Indian Ocean, Gulf of Aden, and strategic waterways around the Red Sea following attacks on them. The Navy has foiled attacks by pirates on several ships in the region since January.

The Indian Navy is pitching for three aircraft carriers to deal with China’s growing naval prowess and its increasing influence over the Indian Ocean region. Presently, India has two aircraft carriers – INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant. INS Vikrant, India’s first indigenously-built aircraft carrier, was commissioned in September last year. It has a sophisticated air defence network and anti-ship missile systems and the capacity to hold 30 fighter jets and helicopters. INS Vikramaditya is a Russian origin platform.