9 May 2026
INS Vikrant joins second carrier strike group exercise
UPSC
Defence
Summary
India's indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant joined the navy's second large-scale carrier strike group exercise in the Indian Ocean, marking operational maturity. Tejas-N fighter aircraft launched and recovered successfully.
Why it matters
UPSC GS-3 (Defence). India is one of only ~5 nations operating indigenous aircraft carriers (USA, China, UK, France, India).