First indigenous aircraft carrier will be fully operational by 2022, says Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh

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The first indigenous aircraft carrier will be fully operational by 2022, said Navy chief Admiral Karambir Singh on Tuesday.

Admiral Singh, speaking at an annual press conference, also said that the Navy’s long-term plan is to have three aircraft carriers. He asserted that the Navy is fully prepared to deal with national security challenges.

“We are putting our defence and security in place to ensure that threats from terror groups like are thwarted. I want to assure that Navy along with the Coast Guard and other security agencies are ready to face any challenge,” Singh was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

He also revealed that the Navy’s annual budget allocation has come down from 18 per cent to 12 per cent in the last five years.

The Navy chief said India is playing a stabilising role in the Indo-Pacific region and no action by any other player in the region should impact New Delhi.

He then said that seven to eight Chinese ships are usually present in Indian Ocean region.