NEW DELHI, April 11: India on Monday began an eight-year project to build an aircraft carrier in its most ambitious military programme to date, officials said. Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee launched the construction of the 37,500-ton carrier at the state-run Cochin Shipyard in the southern state of Kerala, a naval spokesman said.
The carrier will carry 30 British- and Russian-made jet fighters as well as locally-designed light combat aircraft which took India more than 22 years to develop.
Federal Shipping Minister T.R. Balu said the ship-building yard would complete the project and hand over the carrier to the Indian navy by 2012.—AFP
