Vikrant 1961 vs Vikramaditya vs Vikrant 2022 Compared

One retired legend against two serving giants. That is the story of Vikrant 1961 vs Vikramaditya vs Vikrant 2022. INS Vikrant (1961) was India’s first aircraft carrier and the hero of the 1971 war. INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant (2022) are the two carriers guarding India’s seas today. How far has the Indian Navy come in six decades? Let us find out.

Below you will find a side-by-side table, simple explanations of each number, a look at aircraft and launch methods, the operations each carrier took part in, who was better at what, and a fun verdict. Handy for NDA, CDS and AFCAT GK, and for impressing the board in your SSB lecturette.

Vikrant 1961 vs Vikramaditya vs Vikrant 2022: At a Glance

The first Vikrant was a light carrier of about 19,500 tonnes fully loaded. The two modern carriers are each well over twice that weight: Vikramaditya about 45,000 tonnes and Vikrant (2022) a reported 43,000 to 45,000 tonnes. Imagine a family car next to a loaded truck and you get the idea of the size jump.

Origins also differ. The old Vikrant came from Britain, Vikramaditya from the former Soviet Union via a Russian rebuild, and the new Vikrant from Cochin Shipyard in Kerala. So this comparison covers three countries of origin and three very different eras of naval aviation.

Vikrant 1961 vs Vikramaditya vs Vikrant 2022: Side-by-Side Comparison

	INS Vikrant (1961)	INS Vikramaditya	INS Vikrant (2022)
Origin / builder	UK: Vickers-Armstrongs, finished by Harland and Wolff	USSR-built; rebuilt by Sevmash, Russia	India: Cochin Shipyard, Kochi
Original identity	HMS Hercules (Majestic class)	Admiral Gorshkov (ex-Baku)	Brand new (IAC-1)
Service with India	1961 to 1997	2013 to present	2022 to present
Displacement (full load)	About 19,500 t	About 45,000 t	About 43,000 to 45,000 t
Length	About 213 m	About 284 m	About 262 m
Width (beam)	About 39 m	About 61 m	About 62 m
Engines	Steam turbines, 2 shafts	Steam turbines, 4 shafts	4 GE LM2500 gas turbines
Top speed	About 25 knots	Over 30 knots	About 28 knots
Range / endurance	About 12,000 nm at 14 kn	About 13,500 nm at 18 kn; 45 days	About 7,500 nm
Crew	About 1,100	About 1,600	About 1,600
Aircraft carried	About 21 to 23	Up to about 34	Around 30
Main fighter	Sea Hawk, later Sea Harrier	MiG-29K	MiG-29K (Rafale M ordered)
Launch method	Steam catapult, later ski-jump	14 deg ski-jump plus wires (STOBAR)	14 deg ski-jump plus wires (STOBAR)
Reported cost	Not clearly reported	Refit about USD 2.35 bn (reported)	Nearly Rs 20,000 crore (2022)
Key operations	1961 Goa blockade; 1971 war	Fleet exercises; twin-carrier ops	Op Sindoor deployment 2025
Fate / status	Museum, scrapped 2014 to 2015	In service (Karwar)	In service

Carrier Jargon Made Easy

• Displacement: the weight of water a ship pushes aside when it floats. In simple words, how heavy the ship is. One tonne is about the weight of a small car.
• Knot: one nautical mile per hour, about 1.85 km per hour. So 28 knots is about 52 km per hour.
• Catapult launch (CATOBAR): a powerful catapult flings a plane off the deck, and wires catch it on landing.
• STOVL: Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing. Jump jets like the Sea Harrier take off from a short run and can land almost straight down.
• STOBAR: Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery. Normal fighters run up a ski-jump ramp to take off and catch a steel wire with a tail hook to land.
• Ski-jump: a curved ramp at the bow that throws a jet upward, like a skier leaving a slope, so it needs a shorter run.

Meet the Three Carriers

INS Vikrant (1961): India’s First Carrier

India bought the unfinished British carrier HMS Hercules in January 1957. She had been laid down during the Second World War but was never completed for the Royal Navy. Harland and Wolff in Belfast finished her with an angled deck and a steam catapult, and she was commissioned as INS Vikrant on 4 March 1961. The name means courageous or mighty.

At about 19,500 tonnes fully loaded and about 213 metres long, she was a light carrier. Her early air wing had Hawker Sea Hawk fighter-bombers and French Breguet Alize anti-submarine planes. Her finest hour came in the 1971 war, when her Sea Hawks struck Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, Khulna and Mongla, helping choke East Pakistan from the sea. Her crew earned two Maha Vir Chakras and twelve Vir Chakras. Later refits added a ski-jump and Sea Harrier jump jets, and she retired on 31 January 1997.

INS Vikramaditya: The Rebuilt Russian Giant

INS Vikramaditya was built in the Soviet Union as Baku, later renamed Admiral Gorshkov. She was a hybrid, part cruiser and part carrier, with large missiles on her front deck. India signed the deal for her on 20 January 2004. Russia’s Sevmash yard stripped out the missiles, added a 14-degree ski-jump and arrestor wires, and rebuilt most of her insides. She was commissioned on 16 November 2013.

She is about 284 metres long and about 45,000 tonnes fully loaded, can exceed 30 knots, and is reported to carry up to about 34 aircraft, led by the MiG-29K fighter. Her steam plant gives her long legs: about 13,500 nautical miles at 18 knots and about 45 days at sea. Her home port is Karwar in Karnataka.

INS Vikrant (2022): Made in India

INS Vikrant (2022), also called IAC-1 (Indigenous Aircraft Carrier 1), was designed by the Indian Navy’s own designers and built by Cochin Shipyard Limited in Kochi. Her keel was laid in 2009, she was floated out on 12 August 2013 and she was commissioned on 2 September 2022. She proudly carries the name of India’s first carrier.

She is about 262 metres long and 62 metres wide, with a reported full-load displacement of about 43,000 to 45,000 tonnes. Four gas turbines give her an official top speed of about 28 knots. She operates around 30 aircraft, including MiG-29K fighters and MH-60R helicopters, and 26 French Rafale M jets have been ordered for her. Official statements in 2022 put her cost at nearly Rs 20,000 crore.

Aircraft, Weapons and Sensors

• Hawker Sea Hawk fighter-bombers (Vikrant 1961)
• Breguet Alize anti-submarine and patrol planes (Vikrant 1961)
• Sea Harrier jump jets after the 1980s refits (Vikrant 1961)
• 40 mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns (Vikrant 1961)
• MiG-29K and MiG-29KUB fighters (Vikramaditya)
• Kamov Ka-31 early-warning helicopters (Vikramaditya)
• Kamov Ka-28 and Sea King anti-submarine helicopters (Vikramaditya)
• MiG-29K fighters (Vikrant 2022)
• MH-60R multi-role helicopters (Vikrant 2022)
• Kamov Ka-31 early-warning helicopters (Vikrant 2022)

Size, Speed and Range Explained

Length tells a quick story: about 213 metres for the old Vikrant, about 284 metres for Vikramaditya and about 262 metres for the new Vikrant. Vikramaditya is the longest of the three, nearly three football fields end to end, while Vikrant (2022) is the widest at about 62 metres.

For speed, the old Vikrant made about 25 knots, Vikrant (2022) about 28 knots, and Vikramaditya over 30 knots, so Vikramaditya is the sprinter. For range, the old Vikrant was reported at about 12,000 nautical miles at 14 knots, Vikramaditya about 13,500 nautical miles at 18 knots and Vikrant (2022) about 7,500 nautical miles. Modern carriers usually refuel at sea from tankers, so range alone does not decide who is better.

Engines: Steam to Gas

Both Vikrant (1961) and Vikramaditya use steam turbines, fed by boilers. Vikrant (2022) uses four gas turbines, which work like jet engines and need fewer sailors to run. Think of it as moving from a steam railway engine to a modern electric locomotive: less smoke, less effort, more control.

Aircraft and Launch Methods

The old Vikrant began with a steam catapult, launching Sea Hawk fighters and Alize anti-submarine planes. Later, a refit swapped the catapult for a ski-jump so she could operate Sea Harrier jump jets. She carried about 21 to 23 aircraft.

Vikramaditya and Vikrant (2022) both use STOBAR: a 14-degree ski-jump for take-off and steel arrestor wires for landing. Both fly the MiG-29K, a fast twin-engine fighter far more capable than anything the first Vikrant ever carried. Vikramaditya is reported to carry up to about 34 aircraft and Vikrant (2022) around 30. Both use Ka-31 helicopters that act as flying radar stations.

Vikrant (2022) also flies the modern MH-60R helicopter for submarine hunting, and India has ordered 26 Rafale M fighters from France for her deck.

Cost and Crew

No reliable purchase price for the first Vikrant is clearly reported, so we skip it. The rebuild of Vikramaditya was reported at about USD 2.35 billion, not counting her aircraft. Vikrant (2022) was put at nearly Rs 20,000 crore in official statements at her 2022 commissioning.

Crew sizes grew from about 1,100 on the old Vikrant to about 1,600 on each of the modern carriers. More people are needed to run bigger flight decks, more aircraft and more complex systems, even with modern automation.

Operations and Missions

• 1961 – Goa liberation (Vikrant 1961): Helped enforce a sea blockade during Operation Vijay; no combat.
• 1971 – Strikes on East Pakistan (Vikrant 1961): Sea Hawks hit Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, Khulna and Mongla in the Bay of Bengal.
• 2016 – First foreign visits (Vikramaditya): Port calls at Colombo and Male.
• 2020 – Naval Tejas landing (Vikramaditya): Hosted the first deck landing of the naval LCA Tejas.
• 2023 – First fighter landings (Vikrant 2022): MiG-29K and naval LCA landed on deck in February.
• 2023-24 – Twin-carrier operations: Vikramaditya and Vikrant (2022) operated jets together at sea.
• 2024 – Exercise with Italy (Vikramaditya): Sailed with the Italian carrier Cavour in the Arabian Sea.
• 2025 – Operation Sindoor (Vikrant 2022): Carrier group forward-deployed in the Arabian Sea.

Operations: War Hero vs Modern Guardians

The old Vikrant helped enforce a sea blockade during the 1961 liberation of Goa, and in December 1971 her Sea Hawks struck ports and ships in East Pakistan. Her crew won two Maha Vir Chakras and twelve Vir Chakras.

The two modern carriers have not fought a full war, but they have been very busy. Vikramaditya made her first foreign port visits in 2016 and hosted the first naval Tejas deck landing in January 2020. In 2023 and 2024 both modern carriers operated together in twin-carrier drills. In 2025, during Operation Sindoor, Vikrant (2022) and her group were forward-deployed in the Arabian Sea.

Which Is Better at What?

• Combat record: Vikrant (1961), the only one of the three to fight a war under the Indian flag.
• Speed: Vikramaditya, at over 30 knots.
• Length and aircraft numbers: Vikramaditya, longest hull and up to about 34 aircraft.
• Modern engines and systems: Vikrant (2022), with gas turbines and newer electronics.
• Future growth: Vikrant (2022), with Rafale M fighters on order and an Indian-owned design.
• Inspiration: a tie between the two Vikrants: one won a war, the other proved India can build carriers.

How Carrier Technology Evolved

The first Vikrant came from the early jet age, when a small carrier with a catapult could still fly useful fighters. As jets got heavier, small carriers struggled. Britain’s answer was the jump jet and ski-jump, which kept the old Vikrant useful into the 1990s.

Vikramaditya and Vikrant (2022) represent the next step: big hulls with ski-jumps strong enough to launch full-size fighters, plus helicopters with radars to see far beyond the horizon. Vikrant (2022) adds gas turbine power, automated machinery control and Indian-made warship steel. In 60 years, India went from buying a half-built carrier to designing its own.

Vikrant 1961 vs Vikramaditya vs Vikrant 2022 Timeline

• 1957 – India buys HMS Hercules: Unfinished British carrier bought for the Indian Navy.
• 1961 – Vikrant (1961) commissioned: Commissioned on 4 March 1961 in Belfast.
• 1971 – Vikrant (1961) in battle: Air strikes on East Pakistan help win the war.
• 1989 – Ski-jump fitted on Vikrant: Refit gives the old carrier a ramp for Sea Harriers.
• 1997 – Vikrant (1961) retires: Decommissioned on 31 January 1997.
• 2004 – Gorshkov deal signed: India and Russia sign the deal on 20 January 2004.
• 2009 – IAC-1 keel laid: Work on India’s first home-built carrier begins at Kochi.
• 2013 – Vikramaditya commissioned: Commissioned on 16 November 2013 at Severodvinsk, Russia.
• 2013 – IAC-1 launched: The hull floats out of dock on 12 August 2013.
• 2022 – Vikrant (2022) commissioned: Commissioned on 2 September 2022 at Cochin Shipyard.

Who Commands a Carrier?

An Indian aircraft carrier is commanded by an officer of Captain rank. Below the captain are heads of departments for navigation, engineering, electrical systems, weapons, logistics, medical care and aviation. More than a thousand sailors and officers live aboard, along with pilots and aircraft technicians. Every carrier is effectively a floating town with kitchens, a hospital, workshops and its own power station.

The Verdict: Vikrant 1961 vs Vikramaditya vs Vikrant 2022

If this were a superhero film, Vikrant (1961) would be the founding hero whose story everyone still tells, Vikramaditya the powerful veteran with the longest reach, and Vikrant (2022) the new hero built at home. On pure capability, the two modern carriers easily beat the old Vikrant, and between them Vikrant (2022) edges ahead for modern tech and future upgrades. But for courage under fire, the 1961 Vikrant remains the champion.

One line to remember: the Vikrant name links 1961 and 2022, while Vikramaditya is India’s bridge between imported and home-built carriers.

Did You Know?

• The old Vikrant was first laid down in 1943 as HMS Hercules.
• She opened as a museum ship in Mumbai in 2001 and closed in 2012.
• A memorial made from her metal was unveiled at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai in 2016.
• Vikramaditya has 22 decks.
• Vikramaditya’s original delivery target was 2008, but she was commissioned only in 2013.
• Vikrant (2022) has about 2,300 compartments.
• The MiG-29K and the naval LCA made their first landings on Vikrant (2022) in February 2023.

Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of Vikrant 1961 vs Vikramaditya vs Vikrant 2022

Click an option to see if you are right. Your score updates live.

Vikrant 1961 vs Vikramaditya vs Vikrant 2022: Frequently Asked Questions

This is part 15 of 16 in SSBPsych’s Indian Navy aircraft carrier series – a new post every day at 2 PM.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org.

Preparing for NDA, CDS, AFCAT or your SSB? Join SSBPsych’s online and offline batches – explore our courses or call +91 8076540582.