INS Vishal carrier under construction at Cochin Shipyard Limited

The Indian Navy's plan to build a third aircraft carrier is a central feature of the recently released Technology Perspective and Capability Roadmap (TPCR) 2025, a comprehensive 15-year defence modernization blueprint unveiled by the Ministry of Defence.

This ambitious initiative underscores India's intent to significantly bolster its maritime power projection capabilities amidst evolving strategic challenges in the Indo-Pacific region.

The proposed third aircraft carrier, widely identified as the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier-2 (IAC-2) or INS Vishal, is planned with a service life expectancy of 40 years and represents a substantial technological leap beyond India’s current carrier capabilities. Its name Vishal means 'Gargantuan' in Sanskrit.

Unlike the existing carriers—INS Vikramaditya (a modified Russian Kiev-class vessel) and INS Vikrant (India’s first indigenously constructed carrier commissioned in 2022)—the INS Vishal is envisaged as a larger, more advanced platform. The carrier is expected to be nuclear-powered, India's first, granting it extended endurance and stealth operation advantages critical for sustained blue-water naval operations across the Indian Ocean region and beyond.

The TPCR 2025 highlights the integration of cutting-edge technologies into INS Vishal, including an indigenously developed Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), which would allow the carrier to launch a wider variety of aircraft such as heavier fighters, airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) under all sea conditions.

This is a significant upgrade from the currently used Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery (STOBAR) system on earlier carriers, enabling greater operational flexibility and increased sortie rates.

The roadmap also envisions the incorporation of advanced combat management systems, enhanced aircraft landing and control systems like Automatic Carrier Landing System (ACLS) and Optical Landing System (OLS), as well as predictive maintenance supported by digital twin technologies, making the ship more networked, efficient, and survivable.

In line with the strategic objective to strengthen India’s naval dominance, the roadmap calls for the production of at least 10 nuclear propulsion systems, meant to power the carrier along with other future large surface combatants.

This nuclear propulsion push aligns with India’s broader ambition of strategic autonomy in defence manufacturing, aiming to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers while fostering significant private-public sector collaborations within the indigenous defence industrial base.

Furthermore, the development plan includes the induction of next-generation twin-engine, deck-based fighter jets and light combat aircraft, which are currently being developed by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

These carrier-capable combat aircraft will replace the existing Russian-origin MiG-29Ks and complement India’s induction of Rafale-M Marine jets, thereby enhancing the carrier air wing’s capability and operational reach.

The TPCR 2025 also envisions advanced technologies such as cyber-hardened satellite links, hypersonic missile systems, and unmanned platforms that would synergize with the carrier’s capabilities to offer a futuristic edge in naval warfare.

Strategically, the addition of a nuclear-powered INS Vishal will enable India to match and potentially exceed the maritime power projection capabilities of its regional rivals, particularly China, which is aggressively expanding its carrier fleet.

The TPCR 2025 inclusion of the third aircraft carrier program reflects a decisive shift in India's naval strategy towards greater technological sophistication, enhanced operational endurance, and forward maritime presence.

This carrier, set to serve for four decades, will not only elevate the Indian Navy’s combat potential but also firmly establish India as a dominant naval power in the Indo-Pacific theatre and beyond, reinforcing the country’s commitment to safeguarding its maritime interests and maintaining regional stability.

IDN (With Agency Inputs)