MiG-29K makes maiden night landing on INS Vikrant

#IndianNavy achieves another historic milestone by undertaking maiden night landing of MiG-29K on @IN_R11Vikrant indicative of the Navy’s impetus towards #aatmanirbharta.#AatmaNirbharBharat@PMOIndia @DefenceMinIndia pic.twitter.com/HUAvYBCnTH

— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) May 25, 2023

Rajnath Singh tweeted while congratulating Indian Navy for achieving another milestone, “Congratulations to the Indian Navy for successfully undertaking the maiden night landing trials of MiG-29K on #INSVikrant. This remarkable achievement is a testimony to the skills, perseverance and professionalism of the Vikrant crew and Naval pilots. Kudos to them.”

Congratulations to the Indian Navy for successfully undertaking the maiden night landing trials of MiG-29K on #INSVikrant. This remarkable achievement is a testimony to the skills, perseverance and professionalism of the Vikrant crew and Naval pilots. Kudos to them. https://t.co/1wzIONNM8C

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) May 25, 2023

In February, Russian-origin MiG-29K and a prototype of the Naval variant of the indigenously developed Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas jets had conducted day landings on the aircraft carrier.

In September last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi commissioned India’s first indigenously-built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant that made the country part of an elite group of nations capable of manufacturing aircraft carriers above 40,000 tonnes category. The Navy had said the aircraft carrier would be able to play a role in ensuring peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

Built at a cost of around Rs 23,000 crore, INS Vikrant has a sophisticated air defence network and anti-ship missile systems. It has the capacity to hold 30 fighter jets and helicopters. At the commissioning ceremony of the vessel, Prime Minister Modi called it a “floating city” and that it is a reflection of India becoming self-reliant in defence.

With PTI inputs