Historical! After LCA Navy, MiG-29K Fighter Jet Makes Maiden Landing on INS Vikrant: Watch Video

After India-made LCA fighter jet successfully performed arrested landing and short take off from the Indian Navy's INS Vikrant, now Navy has shared a video of successful landing of MiG-29K on INS Vikrant by Naval Pilots. The landing and take off demonstrate India's prowess in Aircraft Carrier design, construction and operations while enhancing the Navy's Combat Readiness. On its official Twitter account, Indian Navy shared the video of MiG-29K landing on INS Vikrant with the caption, "Watch the maiden landing of MiG-29K onboard the #IndigenousAircraftCarrier #INSVikrant."

INS Vikrant is the first indigenous Aircraft Carrier and the most complex warship ever built by India. The ship has been designed in-house by the Indian Navy's Warship Design Bureau and constructed by M/s Cochin Shipyard Limited. The ship sailed for its maiden Sea Trials on 04 August 2021. The Carrier was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 02 September 2022, the Hon'ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the Chief Guest, as per the press release.

Historic!
Feb 2014 : Maiden MIG29K landing onboard @IN_Vikramaditya

Feb 2023: Maiden touchdown of #MIG29K onboard @IN_R11Vikrant

Yet another step towards augmenting @Indiannavy's combat capability to protect #Nation's #maritime interests@DefenceMinIndia pic.twitter.com/kVtDiybfO0 — IN (@IndiannavyMedia) February 7, 2023

As part of the aviation trials, the landing of LCA (Navy) and MiG-29K onboard INS Vikrant was carried out on 06 February 2023 by Indian Naval Test Pilots. The landing of LCA (Navy) on deck was a first for the India, with an India-made fighter jet landing on an indigenous aircraft carrier, demonstrating 'AatmaNirbharta' in India's capability to design, develop, construct and operate indigenous Aircraft carriers with indigenous Fighter Aircraft.

After the landing, Admiral R Hari Kumar, Chief of the Naval Staff, said in a press release, "The successful landing and take-off of the indigenous LCA Navy on India's first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier is a momentous step forward towards the realisation of our collective vision of AatmaNirbharBharat. The maiden landing of the Mig-29K also heralds the integration of the fighter aircraft with INS Vikrant. Congratulations to all those who made it happen."

It is indeed a landmark achievement being the first time that trials of a prototype aircraft - indigenously designed & produced by Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), have been successfully undertaken on an indigenous Aircraft Carrier.

Further, the landing of MiG-29K onboard INS Vikrant is also a significant achievement as it marks the successful integration of the aircraft with the indigenous carrier as well as further enhances the Combat Readiness of the Navy, the statement added.

With ANI inputs