India launches its first aircraft carrier
India on Friday began operating its first aircraft carrier.
With the INS Vikrant, India has become one of the few countries, like the United States, China, Russia, France and Britain, that can build its own aircraft carriers.
The cost of the Indian aircraft carrier was about 2.5 billion euros, according to local television station NDTV.
The construction and testing phase of the carrier lasted more than a decade.
The aircraft carrier can accommodate 30 combat aircraft, and a crew of about 1,600 people.
This comes from India in response to the growing military power of its neighbor China.
"In the past, security concerns in the Indo-Pacific region were often ignored. But today, this is a major defense priority for our country," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Friday in Kochi, southern India.
India also has another operational Russian aircraft carrier dating back to the Soviet era.
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