India to develop first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to counter China and Pakistan in the Indo-Pacific.

On August 6, 2025, India formally placed a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier at the center of its naval modernization program through the release of its Technology Perspective and Capability Roadmap 2025, a 15-year plan approved by the Ministry of Defence. The roadmap indicates that India will move beyond its current fleet of two conventionally powered carriers, INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant, by developing a third carrier, envisioned as nuclear-powered.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link

Both Indian aircraft carriers, the INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant, have been used in international exercises, including dual-carrier drills in 2023, the Malabar exercise with the United States, and Varuna with France. (Picture source: Indian Navy)

Nuclear propulsion provides a set of technical and operational advantages that distinguish it from conventional power plants. A nuclear-powered carrier can operate for extended durations at sea without refueling, which reduces reliance on vulnerable supply chains and increases the ability to sustain operations at long distances from home ports. The reactors can generate several hundred megawatts of electrical output, which supports advanced systems such as electromagnetic aircraft launch systems, directed-energy weapons, and next-generation sensors that require high power levels.

Nuclear propulsion also allows for the launch of heavier aircraft, including fixed-wing airborne early warning platforms and unmanned combat air vehicles, expanding the range of missions the carrier can perform. Higher sortie rates, longer on-station times, and the ability to sustain continuous air coverage are direct outcomes of the increased energy capacity. These advantages are viewed as essential for enabling India’s future carrier groups to operate in contested environments where endurance, power generation, and flexibility are critical factors.

This new aircraft carrier, which could be developed as INS Vishal, also known as Indigenous Aircraft Carrier 3 (IAC-3), is expected to provide longer endurance at sea, reduce refueling requirements, and enable sustained operations in contested areas of the Indo-Pacific. The proposed vessel, to be built by Cochin Shipyard Limited, is envisioned as a flat-top carrier with a displacement of 65,000 to 75,000 tons, a length of about 300 meters, and a speed of 30 knots. It is intended to embark up to 55 aircraft, including 40 fixed-wing and 15 rotary-wing platforms, with the future Twin Engine Deck-Based Fighter (TEDBF) as a planned component of its air wing. The plan also highlights the need for ten naval nuclear propulsion plants to support not only the carrier but also submarines and future surface combatants, reflecting a structural shift toward nuclear propulsion across India’s naval force.

The Technology Perspective and Capability Roadmap 2025 explicitly lists advanced systems to be integrated into the new carrier, including two electromagnetic aircraft launch systems (EMALS), an Automatic Carrier Landing System, Fresnel optical landing aids, arresting gear, and dedicated combat management software for aircraft control and direction. DRDO has been tasked with developing EMALS indigenously, a technology that would allow heavier aircraft such as airborne early warning planes and unmanned combat aerial vehicles to launch from the deck. Indian agencies have previously demonstrated scaled-down prototypes capable of launching payloads of up to 400 kilograms, with plans to expand capacity for platforms of up to 40 tons. Nuclear propulsion is expected to provide the large electrical output necessary for such systems while extending the ship’s operational reach. Compared to the 2018 edition, the 2025 roadmap expands requirements by introducing nuclear propulsion and EMALS as firm goals and adding references to the Twin Engine Deck-Based Fighter (TEDBF) and the LCA Navy to diversify the future carrier’s air wing.

When speaking about carrier aviation, the 2025 roadmap aligns near-term acquisitions with long-term development. India signed a contract in April 2025 for 26 Rafale-Marine jets worth about $8 billion to equip Vikramaditya and Vikrant. These aircraft will gradually replace the MiG-29K fleet currently embarked on both carriers, while the TEDBF program advances as a domestically developed twin-engine jet designed specifically for deck operations. The LCA Navy, although not accepted as a frontline fighter, has been used for deck-landing demonstrations on Vikramaditya and Vikrant and is being reconsidered as a possible training platform. By 2030, India expects to operate a combined fleet of 62 Rafale aircraft across the Navy and Air Force, while TEDBF is targeted to enter service in the 2030s. The inclusion of unmanned combat drones as part of future carrier strike groups is another notable addition, indicating that the third carrier’s air wing will be more diverse and technologically advanced than its predecessors.

The roadmap also reinforces the strategic logic behind three carriers, allowing two to remain operational while one undergoes maintenance. Vikramaditya, commissioned in 2013 after conversion from a Russian-built ship, has undergone refits, including a major overhaul from 2020 to 2022 and another contract in 2024 worth over ₹1,207 crore. Vikrant, commissioned in 2022 as India’s first indigenously built carrier, has completed aviation trials and will host Rafale-M aircraft later in the decade. Both carriers have been used in international exercises, including dual-carrier drills in 2023, the Malabar exercise with the United States, and Varuna with France. The roadmap situates the nuclear-powered third carrier as essential to maintaining continuous availability of two operational groups across the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal, particularly given the expansion of China’s carrier fleet and Pakistan’s planned acquisition of Hangor-class submarines.

China currently operates two carriers, Liaoning and Shandong, and is preparing the larger Fujian, which incorporates electromagnetic catapult systems to support heavier aircraft and long-range operations. Chinese shipyards are also studying nuclear-powered designs that would extend operational endurance even further. Pakistan, while not pursuing carriers, is expanding its submarine force with eight Hangor-class air-independent propulsion submarines on order from China, which would increase its ability to challenge Indian naval operations in the Arabian Sea. Together, these create a situation in which India sees a need for a minimum of three carriers to ensure two are available for deployment while one is under refit. This approach is intended to maintain consistent coverage of the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, both of which are critical for protecting trade routes and monitoring the activities of regional rivals.

However, the adoption of nuclear propulsion for carriers is not without challenges. India’s existing naval reactors, such as those developed for the Arihant-class submarines, generate about 83 MW, while a carrier would require a reactor in the 500–550 MW range. Discussions between DRDO and the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre on such a project remain unresolved over funding and technical complexity. As a result, India is also considering integrated electric propulsion systems with advanced gas turbines, developed in collaboration with the United Kingdom and firms such as General Electric Power Conversion and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, as an interim alternative. These could still support EMALS if sufficient electrical power is generated and stored, allowing a non-nuclear path toward CATOBAR (catapult-assisted take-off but arrested recovery) operations. The debate over whether the third carrier should be a CATOBAR vessel with EMALS or a larger STOBAR platform reflects a balance between technological ambition and budgetary feasibility.

If approved and funded by 2026, the nuclear carrier project would likely require more than a decade of construction, testing, and integration, pointing to an in-service date in the late 2030s. Until then, India will focus on maximizing the operational capacity of Vikramaditya and Vikrant while continuing to build supporting infrastructure at Cochin Shipyard and other facilities. The roadmap underscores that carriers are not viewed as isolated assets but as central elements of a wider naval modernization effort that includes advanced fighters, unmanned systems, nuclear propulsion, and electromagnetic launch technology. By pursuing these capabilities in parallel, India seeks to establish a sustainable three-carrier force that aligns with its strategic priorities in the Indo-Pacific and reduces dependence on foreign suppliers through indigenous design, production, and integration.