New Delhi :India’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC)will be commissioned next year and its combat capability, reach and versatility will add formidable capabilities in the country’s defence, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said here on Friday.In a statement to the media after visiting the IAC at Ernakulam wharf of the Cochin port to review its construction progress, Singh described it as India’s pride and a shining example of Atmanirbhar Bharat.”The project was originally approved by the NDA government and has made significant progress in recent past despite COVID.”Commissioning of the IAC next year will be a befitting tribute to 75 years of India’s independence”, Singh said in the statement read out to the media.”The combat capability, reach and versatility of the aircraft carrier will add formidable capabilities in the defence of our country and help secure India’s interests in the maritime domain,” the Defence Minister said.The minister said it was a pleasure to review first-hand, the work being done on the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier.Singh, who reviewed Project Seabird at Karwar, which will be the largest naval base of the Indian Navy in future, and will provide the facilities and infrastructure to support the Navy’s operations in the Indian Ocean Region and beyond, said the government is fully committed to a strong navy and these two projects are examples of our unwavering focus.”Our impetus to modernisation, harnessing India’s indigenous industry and know-how, is a key priority. Forty-two of the 44 warships on order being built at Indian shipyards is a testimony to this”, he said.He said the IAC boasts of nearly 75 per cent indigenous content, from design, to steel used in construction, to key weapons and sensors.
