Equipped with lethal missiles and anti-submarine rockets, the indigenously-built stealth guided-missile destroyer Visakhapatnam will be inducted into the Indian Navy on Sunday. The induction ceremony will be held at the Western Naval Command and will be attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and top naval commanders.
The ship is packed with an array of lethal missiles including supersonic surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles, anti-submarine rockets, sensors, medium and short-range guns, and advanced electronic warfare and communication suits, officials said. The ship has the capability of embarking two integrated helicopters and boasts of a very high level of automation with sophisticated digital networks, combat management systems and integrated platform management systems.
The majestic ship measures 163 metres in length, 17 metres in breadth with a displacement of 7,400 tonnes.
It happens to be the first stealth guided-missile destroyer of the Rs 35,000 crore Project 15B, under which a total of four warships are being built. The next ship is set to be commissioned in 2023 while the other two are planned to be inducted by 2025.
The warship, designed by the Indian Navy’s in-house organisation, the Directorate of Naval Design, has been constructed by Mazagon Dock Limited.
“It can rightfully be regarded as one of the most potent warships to have been constructed in India,” said an official.
The ship is propelled by four powerful gas turbines, and is capable of achieving speeds in excess of 30 knots. It is fitted with a modern surveillance radar that provides target data to the gunnery weapon systems of the ship, the official said. The ship is also equipped to fight under nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) warfare conditions, the official said.
“The commissioning of Visakhapatnam will reaffirm India’s presence amongst an elite group of nations with capability to design and build advanced warships,” Vice Admiral Satish Namdeo Ghormade, the Vice Chief of Naval Staff, said.
