Published on: 11/4/2015IST
7 Must Know Facts About Indian Navy's Biggest Destroyer, INS Visakhapatnam
The lead ship of the newest Project 15B line of Indian Navy's Guided Missile Destroyers, the INS Visakhapatnam was floated out to sea a couple of days ago. In keeping with the traditions of the Indian Navy, the ship was launched by Smt. Minu Dhowan, wife of The Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R K Dhowan. Here’s all you need to know about this destroyer which will be commissioned in 2018.
1. In keeping with the Indian naval traditions, the ship was launched by breaking a coconut on the ship’s bow. In other countries, a champagne bottle is used instead.
2. The ship is being built at the MDL (Mazagon Dock Limited) in Mumbai, and was designed completely indigenously at the Directorate of Naval Design in Delhi. It is designed to be stealthy to prevent detection by the enemy at sea and operate under NBC (Nuclear, Biological and Chemical) strike.
3. A total of four ships of the Project 15B class will be built beginning with INS Visakhapatnam. Two follow- on ships have been named INS Paradip and INS Marmagoa and will be commissioned in 2020 and 2022 respectively. The fourth one, due in 2024, is yet to be named.
4. At the time of launch, the ship displaced around 3,000 tones. Its final displacement though will be 7,300 tonnes making it the biggest Destroyer in the Indian Navy. It will measure 163 metres in length and a maximum of 17.4 metres at the beam. It will carry a compliment of 50 officers and 250 sailors.
5. Powered by four gas turbines, INS Visakhapatnam can cruise at speeds up to 30 knots. It will carry 1,000 tonnes of fuel giving it a range of 4,000 nautical miles.
6. It will also be one of the most heavily armed warships in the world. It will have 32 Barak-8 Long Range SAM being jointly developed by India and Israel. It will also carry 16 Brahmos supersonic cruise missiles for attacking land targets up to 295 km away. For any ship role it will carry heavy weight torpedoes that will be able to strike a vessel 100 km away.
7. The indigenous weapon content of the ship constitutes Torpedo Tube Launcher, Rocket Launcher and an Integrated Power Management System built by L&T. A Close-in Weapon System built by Gun Shell Factory and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL). BEL is also making the Bow Mounted Sonar to detect submarines and an Early Warning System called ELLORA.
11/4/2015 | | Permalink