Documents
India Cochin Shipyard Limited
Vikrant
India's first indigenously designed and built aircraft carrier, operating a STOBAR air wing of MiG-29K fighters and helicopters from a ski-jump bow, making India one of a small number of nations able to design and construct its own carriers.
In service since 2022 · 1 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
40,000
t
28
kn
7,500
nmi
0
VLS
1,700
crew
💲 ≈ $3,100,000,000, Approximate total program build cost
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
National export licensing
Subject to India export-control approval; verify eligibility with the manufacturer.
Channel: Direct commercial / G2G
Fielded & proven
Limited · 1 operator
In service since 2022. Status: active · ~1 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
$7.8B – $11B
Acquisition is only ~30% of lifecycle cost, operating & support dominate over ~35 yrs. Rough 2.5–3.5× the unit price. How we estimate this →
Interoperability
No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.
Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Compatible munitions & weapons
Publicly reported weapons the Vikrant can carry. Linked items have a full spec page.
Full specifications
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
| Main armament Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type. | Aircraft air wing |
|---|---|
| VLS cells Vertical-launch missile cells on a warship, a proxy for magazine depth. Higher means more missiles before rearming. | 0 |
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
| Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable. | 262 m |
|---|
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
| Radar Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art. | MF-STAR multi-function radar |
|---|
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
| Unit cost Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper. | $3,100,000,000 |
|---|---|
| Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability. | 1 |
| Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem. | 1 |
Specifications compiled from public Cochin Shipyard Limited and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
Compare with rivals
See how it stacks up
Naval Group Amiral Ronarc'h-class Frigate (FDI) 
Navantia Alvaro de Bazan class (F100) Frequently asked questions
What is the main armament of the Cochin Shipyard Limited Vikrant? +
The Cochin Shipyard Limited Vikrant's primary weapon is the Aircraft air wing.
What is the Cochin Shipyard Limited Vikrant used for? +
The Cochin Shipyard Limited Vikrant is a warship typically used for air superiority.
How many countries operate the Cochin Shipyard Limited Vikrant? +
The Cochin Shipyard Limited Vikrant is operated by 1 countries.
How much does the Cochin Shipyard Limited Vikrant cost? +
The Cochin Shipyard Limited Vikrant has an approximate unit cost of 3,100,000,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration, treat this as directional.
