Stealth destroyer INS Visakhapatnam launched

Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, April 20

India’s indigenously built stealth destroyer INS Visakhapatnam was launched at the Mazgaon Docks Ltd facility today. The warship was launched by Minu Dhowan, wife of naval chief Admiral RK Dhowan.

INS Visakhapatnam is the first ship of the Project 15B class of destroyers being built in India. The ship is 163 metres long and has a displacement of 73,000 tonnes, according to MDL.

Four more ships of this class are under construction and will named after cities Murmagao, Paradip and Porbandar. The construction of this ship involves several technologies that were employed for the first time. “This the first ship to be built in India featuring virtual designing and 3D modelling,” said Rear Admiral AK Saxena, Director General Naval Design.

The Navy said the INS Visakhapatnam is one of the most advanced stealth ship in the world and would be equipped with the multi-function surveillance threat alert radar (MF-STAR) from Israel. The ship will also carry 32 Barak 8 long-range surface-to-air missiles.

Costing Rs 29,430 crore, INS Visakapatnam will be inducted into the Navy by 2018. Naval officials said the ship would be equipped to operate in conditions of nuclear, biological and chemical warfare due to the installation of the Total Atmosphere Control System (TAC).

“The TAC system allows you to operate in a fall-out region — nuclear, chemical or biological. The air entering the ship passes through nuclear, biological and chemical filters,” Rear Admiral Saxena added.

Equipment on board include state-of-the-art weapons, sensors, an advanced action information system, an integrated platform management system, sophisticated power distribution system and a host of other advanced features.