May 30,2025
On May 30, 2025, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited INS Vikrant, India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, deployed in the Arabian Sea, to review its role in the recent Operation Sindoor and reaffirm India’s maritime strength. The visit carried deep strategic and symbolic weight, showcasing India’s self-reliance in defense and issuing a stern warning to Pakistan following heightened regional tensions.
Singh’s visit followed Operation Sindoor, a precise military response to a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22, 2025, which killed 26 civilians. The operation saw the Indian Air Force strike terror bases in Pakistan, while INS Vikrant’s Carrier Battle Group, with destroyers, BrahMos missiles, and MiG-29K jets, confined Pakistan’s navy to its shores, showcasing India’s maritime dominance without direct engagement. This deployment pressured Pakistan into seeking a ceasefire.
Aboard INS Vikrant, Singh praised the Navy’s readiness and morale, calling the 45,000-tonne carrier a “symbol of aspirational and self-reliant India.” He reviewed its operational capabilities, emphasizing its role in persistent surveillance and power projection in the Indo-Pacific. Singh warned Pakistan against further provocations, referencing the 1971 war and stating that the Navy’s full might could “divide Pakistan into four parts” if unleashed. He condemned Pakistan’s “dangerous game” of terrorism, vowing India would counter it decisively, using both conventional and unconventional means.
Commissioned in 2022, INS Vikrant, built by Cochin Shipyard with 76% indigenous content, can carry 30 aircraft, including MiG-29K and soon Rafale Marine jets. Its advanced systems highlight India’s “Make in India” success. Singh underscored its role in strengthening India’s position as a key Indo-Pacific power, aligning with the SAGAR vision of regional security and growth.
Rajnath Singh’s visit to INS Vikrant on May 30, 2025, celebrated India’s naval prowess and self-reliance while sending a clear message to adversaries: India’s restraint should not be mistaken for weakness. As a flagship of maritime power, INS Vikrant embodies India’s resolve to safeguard its interests and ensure a free, open Indo-Pacific.
