In a significant achievement for the Indian Navy, a MiG-29K fighter aircraft has completed a night landing on the domestically-built aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant. This milestone marks the first nocturnal landing of a MiG-29K on the carrier.
The Indian Navy shared the news on Twitter, stating that the night landing of the MiG-29K on INS Vikrant is a historic milestone and demonstrates the Navy’s commitment to self-reliance (Aatma Nirbhar Bharat). The Navy also praised the determination, skill, and professionalism of the Vikrant crew and naval pilots involved in this challenging trial.
The achievement received recognition from Rajnath Singh, the Defense Minister, who congratulated the Indian Navy for the successful maiden night landing trials of the MiG-29K on INS Vikrant. Singh commended the crew and naval pilots for their exceptional skills and perseverance.
Before this accomplishment, the Tejas Naval version had also performed successful landings on INS Vikrant.
INS Vikrant, with impressive dimensions of 262 meters in length, 62 meters in width, and a towering height of 59 meters, includes over 2,300 compartments. These compartments offer ample space for equipment and accommodate approximately 1,700 individuals, including private cabins for female officers. The aircraft carrier has a maximum speed of around 28 knots and can maintain a steady pace of 18 knots, covering a distance of approximately 7,500 nautical miles.
The construction of INS Vikrant began in 2009 and was officially launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September of the previous year. Since then, the aircraft carrier has been operational and continues to contribute to the Indian Navy’s capabilities.