India’s indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant to steal the show in IFR 2026 in Vizag

Visakhapatnam: India's indigenously built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, which played a pivotal role during "Operation Sindoor", will be the centre of attraction of the International Fleet Review ( IFR- 2026) and Excercise MILAN- 2026 to be held in Vizag from Feb 15 to Feb 25. INS Vikrant among 60 ships and submarines from the Indian Navy and ships from friendly foreign navies will take part in the IFR and MILAN.It may be recalled that Prime Minister Narendra Modi marked Diwali in the presence of armed forces personnel at INS Vikrant off the coast of Goa and Karwa on October 20, 2025. Heaping praise on INS Vikrant during his address, Modi said INS Vikrant gave sleepless night to Pakistan.
Commissioned in 2022, INS Vikrant marked India's entry into an elite group of nations capable of designing and building their own aircraft carriers. Built by Cochin Shipyard Limited, the aircraft carrier showed India's growing naval strength. INS Vikrant is named after its legendary predecessor that played a crucial role in the 1971 Indo-Pak war. The name Vikrant means courageous. INS Vikrant spans 262 metres in length and 62 metres in width and 18 floors tall. It houses a crew of 1,600 and carries 250 tankers of fuel. INS Vikrant can host up to 30 aircraft, including MiG-29K fighter jets and various helicopters.Apart from INS Vikrant, Indian Naval ships INS Chennai, INS Visakhapatnam, INS Mysore, INS Mumbai, INS Rana, INS Ranvir, INS Ranvijay, INS Tamal and submarines INS Sindhukesari, INS Shankul, INS Sindhukerti will join in the IFR.HMAS Warramunga ship from Australia, JS Yuudachi from Japan, RFS Marshal Shaposhnikov from Russia and USS Pinckney from USA will join the IFR. Sets of foreign naval ships from friendly navies arrived in Visakhapatnam coast in the past two days to participate in the IFR 2026 and Exercise MILAN 2026.The Indian Navy welcomed CGS Huravee, a patrol vessel of the Maldives National Defence Force, SCGS Zoroaster (P609) of the Seychelles Coast Guard, VPNS 17 of the Vietnam People's Navy and BRP Miguel Malvar, a frigate of Philippine Navy on their arrival at the port city. The ships will take part in both IFR and MILAN, marking continued maritime cooperation between India and the friendly foreign navies.The Indian Navy is hosting the three international engagements simultaneously from February 15 to 25 in Vizag city. The IFR and Exercise MILAN will be conducted alongside the IONS Conclave of Chiefs, bringing together naval leaders and ships from several countries. The IFR will formally commence with a Presidential Banquet on Feb 17, followed by the Presidential Fleet Review at sea on Feb 18. The Fleet Review will feature a display of Indian naval capabilities, including indigenous platforms.Several warships also from foreign navies, and aircraft are scheduled to participate in the events.