Kochi: India launched its first indigenously-built aircraft carrier on Monday, a landmark moment in the $5 billion project that seeks to project the country's power and check the rising influence of China.When the INS Vikrant comes into full service in 2018, India will become the fifth nation to have designed and built its own aircraft carrier, pushing ahead of China to join an elite club that includes Britain, France, Russia and the United States. "It's a remarkable milestone," Defence minister AK Antony said as he stood in front of the giant grey hull of the ship at a ceremony in Kochi. "It marks just a first step in a long journey but at the same time an important one," Antony added.The ship, which will be fitted with weaponry and machinery and then tested over the next four years, is a major advance for a country competing for influence in Asia, analysts say."It is going to be deployed in the Indian Ocean region where the world's commercial and economic interests coalesce. India's capability is very much with China in mind," Rahul Bedi, a defence expert with IHS Jane's Defence Weekly, said.


Also, India Monday test-fired its home grown nuclear-capable surface-to-surface Prithvi-II missile from a military base in Odisha, officials said.

The indigenously-developed ballistic missile with a range of 350 km was fired from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur-on-sea in Balasore district, about 230 km from Bhubaneswar.The launch was carried out by the Indian armed forces, as part of regular training exercise, officials said.

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