Honoured to be onboard India's 1st Indigenous Aircraft Carrier: Superstar Mohanlal after IAC Vikrant visit

Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) ‘Vikrant’ delivered to Indian Navy by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), Kochi, on July 28, creating a maritime history. Designed by Indian Navy's inhouse Directorate of Naval Design (DND) and built by CSL, a Public Sector Shipyard under Ministry of Shipping (MoS), the carrier is christened after her illustrious predecessor, India's first Aircraft Carrier which played a vital role in the 1971 war. (Source: PIB)

Superstar Mohanlal has expressed his gratitude after he visited Vikrant, the country’s first indigenously built aircraft carrier. The 62-year-old actor visited the soon-to-be-commissioned aircraft carrier with filmmaker Major Ravi on Thursday.

Mohanlal shared photos from his visit to the aircraft on Twitter Saturday and called it a ”true engineering marvel”. ”Honoured to be onboard India’s 1st Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC), soon to be commissioned as Vikrant, built in Cochin Shipyard Ltd, Kerala.

She is a true engineering marvel that further fortifies @indiannavy and showcases India’s shipbuilding capabilities. ”I express my heartfelt gratitude for this matchless opportunity, especially to the Commanding Officer, Commodore Vidhyadhar Harke, VSM, and Mr. Madhu Nair, the Chairman & Managing Director of Cochin Shipyard Limited, for their warm reception,” the actor wrote.

Mohanlal, who was inducted into the Territorial Army of India in the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 2018, said the ”unmatched peculiarities of this mean machine” makes him ”triumphantly salute all the people behind IAC Vikrant, the wonder”.

”May she always be victorious at sea!” he added. The aircraft carrier, built at a cost of around Rs 20,000 crore, is 262 metres long, 62 metres wide and it has a height of 59 metres. Its construction began in 2009.

The Indian Navy took delivery of the aircraft carrier from its manufacturer, Cochin Shipyard Ltd, in July and it will be commissioned into the force this month.