UK France eye co-development for India's 65000 ton Carrier

SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG

As the Indian Navy charts a course toward a three-carrier strike group by 2035, international heavyweights—the United Kingdom and France—are circling with enticing propositions for its ambitious next-generation flattop. Both nations have signaled keen interest in co-developing or licensing designs for a behemoth exceeding 65,000 tons, tentatively dubbed INS Vishal, to bolster India’s blue-water ambitions. This overture arrives as New Delhi prioritizes securing Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) clearance for its second indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC-II), a conventional follow-on to INS Vikrant, before pivoting to the game-changing third vessel with electromagnetic catapults and arrested recovery gear.

The Ministry of Defence’s Technology Perspective and Capability Roadmap (TPCR) 2025, unveiled on September 5, explicitly endorses nuclear propulsion and advanced launch systems for future carriers, amplifying the project’s stakes.

The Indian Navy’s carrier odyssey traces from the refitted Admiral Gorshkov (INS Vikramaditya) and Vikrant (IAC-I) to IAC-II, a 45,000-ton STOBAR (Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery) design under construction at Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) since 2019. Valued at ?40,000 crore, IAC-II—expected to commission by 2033-34—will mirror Vikrant’s ski-jump configuration but incorporate lessons from operational teething, including enhanced stealth and sensor fusion.

Clearance for IAC-II remains the immediate hurdle, with CCS approval anticipated by Q1 2026 amid budget reallocations to submarines and missile programs. Once greenlit, the service will fast-track to IAC-III (Vishal), a locally built leviathan displacing 65,000-70,000 tons—rivaling close to British and French aircraft carrier’s class in scale.

Dubbed a “supercarrier,” Vishal will ditch STOBAR for full CATOBAR ops, enabling heavier fixed-wing jets like the Rafale-M (26 ordered in April 2025 for $8 billion) and future UAVs. Key upgrades include EMALS for steam-free launches and advanced arrested gear for precision recoveries, addressing STOBAR’s payload penalties in high-threat environments.

France and the UK, both CATOBAR veterans, are positioning as ideal collaborators. France’s Naval Group—already partnering on Scorpène submarines—has pitched co-design inputs for Vishal, leveraging Charles de Gaulle’s nuclear EMALS experience. Paris envisions a hybrid deal: Adapting the PANG (Porte-Avions Nouvelle Génération) blueprint—75,000 tons with three EMALS tracks—for Vishal, with joint R&D at Indian yards.

The UK, fresh from joint ops with Vikrant in the October 2025 Malabar exercise—marking the first dual-carrier sail by British and Indian forces—offers Queen Elizabeth-class insights. BAE Systems proposes co-development of EMALS variants, drawing from HMS Prince of Wales’ systems, alongside F-35B interoperability for hybrid ops. London eyes this as a QUAD-plus bridge, with potential offsets in Tempest fighter co-production.

Both bids emphasize “plug-and-play” tech transfer, mitigating U.S. hesitancy on EMALS exports—delays that have stalled Vishal’s conceptual phase since 2023. A hybrid France-UK consortium isn’t off the table, per MoD sources, to blend nuclear know-how with conventional modularity.

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