An Indian Navy MiG-29K fighter jet on Wednesday, May 24, landed on the indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant for the first time at night, an important step towards the warship becoming fully operational along with its air wing by the year-end, navy officials said. The aircraft carrier is currently sailing in the Arabian Sea. It was commissioned into the navy last September, marking a pivotal point in the country’s quest for self-reliance in the defence manufacturing sector.
“The challenging night landing trial demonstrates the resolve, skill and professionalism of the Vikrant crew and naval pilots,” navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said. The development came three months after a MiG-29K and a prototype of the naval version of the locally made light combat aircraft (LCA) landed and took off from the aircraft carrier for the first time during day in February.
The aircraft carrier is presently undergoing air certification and flight integration trials with rotary wing and fixed wing aircraft to achieve combat-ready state at the earliest, Madhwal added.