Bengaluru: Indian Navy has sent a message to the defence ministry, seeking a third aircraft carrier, saying it is a tactical necessity. 

It is to be noted that the Navy currently has one operational aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya and a second, aircraft carrier "Indigenous Aircraft Carrier 1 (IAC 1)" is currently being built.

The need for a third aircraft carrier will provide the surge capacity which will be required in the future.

"When the second carrier is commissioned, the first one will go for refitting, so we will again be left with one. But if you have two, in the field of war, it increases your options by a lot", the officer has been quoted as saying by the New Indian Express. 

The officer adds that building a third aircraft carrier would mean that India will effectively utilise the Navy's skill in operationalising aircraft carriers.

The officer added that another advantage of building a made-in-India aircraft carrier is that 90 per cent of its expenses are reinvested into the Indian Economy.