*New Delhi: **In a direct threat to Pakistan, Indian Navy to acquire lethalfirepower to its arsenal with the addition of the New Aircraft carrier cumbattle group.*

A second Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC-II) remains a top priority forthe Indian Navy, even as the force battles a severe financial crunch and isproposing to cut down on the quantity of several crucial navalacquisitions. Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh said this Tuesday.

The Navy’s “long term capability planning”, said Singh, envisages inductionof three aircraft carriers so that two carrier battle groups (CBGs) areavailable for deployment in the Indian Ocean Region at all times.

“It will be 65,000 CATOBAR (Catapult Assisted Take off but ArrestedRecovery) head carrier with electric propulsion,” the Navy chief told themedia in an addresslinkaheadof the Navy Day that is celebrated on 4 December, The Print has reported.

He added that this and other broad contours of the IAC-II, to beconstructed in India, have been formulated and the case will be processedfor the Accord of Acceptance of Necessity.

Singh said the Navy has to now handle the consultancy on the IAC-II withcountries like the US and Britain, and decide on which nation should beapproached for the same.

Senior Naval officers had earlier told ThePrint that the IAC-II is still atthe design stage.

India’s only operational aircraft carrier at present is the INSVikramaditya. INS Vikrant, the second carrier, is under construction at theCochin Shipyard Limited. Both carriers have the STOBAR concept — Short TakeOff But Arrested Recovery.

The Navy chief also said the main shipbuilding part of INS Vikrant is overand it will now go for basin trials.

“We are almost certain that we will take delivery by February-March 2021.Once we take delivery, then we will get our aviation assets going to thetrials that, I expect, will take a year or so. We should have a fullyoperational carrier by 2022,” he said. MiG-29K fighters will be operatingon the aircraft carrier.