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Combat-deployed in 2025, centrepiece of IFR 2026 and past 1,000 arrested landings, with the MiG-29K-to-Rafale-M air-wing transition now the pacing decision.
INS Vikrant (IAC-1) is India's first indigenously designed and built aircraft carrier — a roughly 45,000-tonne STOBAR ship from Cochin Shipyard, commissioned on 2 September 2022 with an air wing of MiG-29K fighters and Ka-31, MH-60R and ALH helicopters. She led the carrier battle group that confined the Pakistan Navy to port during Operation Sindoor in May 2025 and was the centrepiece of India's 85-warship International Fleet Review in February 2026. Her next chapter is an air-wing recapitalisation — 26 Rafale-M fighters signed in April 2025 for delivery from around 2028 — under mounting benchmark pressure from China's three-carrier force, whose J-15T fighters now fly interchangeably from every Chinese deck.
Updated 3 Jul 2026
Verified figures
Spec sources: pib.gov.in ↗ · navalnews.com ↗ · bairdmaritime.com ↗
Changelog
Imagery confirms China's upgraded J-15T now operates from all three PLAN carriers, giving Beijing one interchangeable air wing across its fleet — a benchmark that sharpens the timeline for Vikrant's Rafale-M induction, the indigenous TEDBF and India's third-carrier decision.
PM Modi commissions three GRSE-built warships in a single Kolkata ceremony — Nilgiri-class frigate INS Dunagiri, survey vessel INS Sanshodhak and ASW craft INS Agray — deepening the indigenous escort and screening pool available to the Vikrant carrier battle group.
The Navy announces Vikrant has logged 1,000 successful arrested landings — reached in roughly 41 months since commissioning — a deck-cycle maturity milestone ahead of Rafale-M operations.
Vikrant is the showcase vessel of International Fleet Review 2026 off Visakhapatnam, where President Droupadi Murmu reviews 85 warships from India and 21 foreign navies; the carrier also hosts the MILAN 2026 closing ceremony on 25 February.
Maiden overseas port call: Vikrant arrives in Colombo with frigate INS Udaygiri for the Sri Lanka Navy's 75th-anniversary International Fleet Review, delivering relief supplies for victims of Cyclone Ditwah.
First-ever India-UK dual-carrier operations: Vikrant and HMS Prince of Wales lead their carrier strike groups through Exercise Konkan 2025 in the Arabian Sea (5–12 October), with MiG-29K and F-35B cross-deck flying serials.
Operation Sindoor: within 96 hours of the Pahalgam attack, a Vikrant-led carrier battle group deploys to the northern Arabian Sea as part of a ~36-ship posture that officials say kept the Pakistan Navy confined near its ports.
India and France sign the inter-governmental agreement for 26 Rafale-M fighters (22 single-seat, 4 twin-seat) worth about ₹63,000 crore to fly from Vikrant and Vikramaditya, with deliveries expected from 2028 to 2030.
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China's upgraded J-15T is operating from Liaoning, Shandong and Fujian alike. One interchangeable fighter across three decks changes the tempo of Chinese naval aviation — and shortens India's own decision timelines.
INS Dunagiri, INS Sanshodhak and INS Agray joined the fleet together on 21 June — a GRSE production milestone underscoring India's shift from defence buyer to builder as China widens its Indian Ocean footprint.
