In a fillip to India’s defence capacity, the commissioning ceremony of the Indian Navy’s ‘INS Visakhapatnam’, an indigenous P15B stealth guided-missile destroyer, is to be held in the presence of India’s Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh, on 21 November, 2021. The curtain raiser for the Commissioning ceremony and the launch was held on 16 November, 2021.
INS Visakhapatnam has been constructed using indigenous steel DMR 249A and is amongst the largest destroyers constructed in India, with an overall length of 163 meters and a displacement of over 7400 tons. The ship has a significant indigenous content of approx 75 percent, contributing towards Atmanirbhar Bharat. The ship is a potent vessel, capable of undertaking multifarious tasks and missions spanning the full spectrum of maritime warfare.
INS Visakhapatnam is equipped with an array of weapons & sensors, which include supersonic surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles, medium and short-range guns, anti-submarine rockets and advanced electronic warfare and communication suits. The ship is propelled by a powerful combined gas and gas propulsion which enables a speed of over 30 knots. The ship has the capability of embarking two integrated helicopters to further extend its reach. The ship boasts of a very high level of automation, with sophisticated digital networks, a Combat Management System and an Integrated Platform Management System.
Along with INS Visakhapatnam, INS Vela, the fourth submarine of Project – 75 is also scheduled to be commissioned on 25 November, 2021. In total, six submarines are being constructed under Project-75. With the commissioning of Vela, the project will cross the halfway mark. These submarines are being constructed at M/s MDL and construction is based on the French Scorpène-class design. M/s Naval Group is the French collaborator for this project. The submarine has been slated to join the Submarine fleet of the Western Naval Command of the Indian Navy. The indigenous construction of submarines is indicative of the maturity of the Indian defence manufacturing capability as well as the realization of ‘Atma-Nirbharta’. Vela is the fourth submarine and has completed most of its trials and is combat worthy, ready to take on operational tasking.
Honouring the commissioning of INS Visakhapatnam, Yo! Vizag is running a nautical series, consisting of articles on the history of the Indian Navy and Vizag.
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