The contract for four ships of Project 15B was signed on January 28, 2011. This project is a continuation of the Kolkata class destroyers, which were part of Project 15A and were commissioned in the previous decade. Last November, the project’s lead ship, INS Visakhapatnam, was commissioned into service.

“Designed by the Warship Design Bureau, Indian Navy’s in-house organisation, and built by MDL, the four ships of the project are christened after major cities from all four corners of the country – Visakhapatnam, Mormugao, Imphal and Surat,” the ministry of defence said in a press release.

The keel of Mormugao was laid in June 2015 and the ship was launched on September 17, 2016. The design has largely maintained the hull form, propulsion machinery, many platform equipment, and major weapons and sensors as the Kolkata class to benefit from series production.

The ship is 163 metres long and 17 metres wide, displaces 7,400 tonnes when fully loaded and has a maximum speed of 30 knots. Apart from myriad indigenous equipment in the ‘Float’ and ‘Move’ categories, the destroyer is also installed with under-mentioned major indigenous weapons. The overall indigenous content of the project is approximately 75%.

Mormugao has medium range surface-to-air missiles made by BEL, Bangalore; BrahMos surface-to-surface missiles designed and made by BrahMos Aerospace, New Delhi; indigenous torpedo tube launchers and anti-submarine indigenous rocket launchers made by Larsen and Toubro, Mumbai; and 76-mm super rapid gun mount by BHEL, Haridwar.

The ship had sailed out for her maiden sortie on December 19, 2021 to coincide with the Goa Liberation Day and the ship has now been delivered.

“The delivery of Mormugao is an affirmation of the impetus being given by the government of India and the Indian Navy towards ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ as part of celebration of the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’. The early induction of the destroyer, almost three months prior to the contractual date, despite the COVID-19 challenges, is a tribute to the collaborative efforts of a large number of stakeholders and would enhance the maritime prowess of the country in the Indian Ocean Region,’’ an Indian Navy spokesperson said.

The post Stealth-guided missile destroyer Mormugao delivered to Indian Navy appeared first on IMR.

The launch of a ship refers to it entering water for the first time. The process is carried out in tandem with the rising and receding tides. The next step after launch involves outfitting inside the ship, which is followed by sea trials. Once trials are done, a ship is commissioned.

Both 15B and P17A ships have been designed in-house by the Directorate of Naval Design, the fountainhead for all warship design activities in India, and during their building phase at the shipyard, around 75 per cent of the equipment and systems were sourced from indigenous firms including micro, small and medium enterprises, the statement added.

Defence Minister’s Speech

The defence minister, in his address after the launch, termed the two warships as “shining examples” of India’s growing indigenous capability. “These warships will be among the most technologically advanced missile carriers in the world that will cater to the present as well as future requirements,” he said.

After the concurrent launch of Surat and Udaygiri, Rajnath Singh said the two warships will add might to the Indian Navy’s arsenal and represent to the world India’s power of self-reliance. He exuded confidence that India will not only cater to its shipbuilding needs but also others in the coming days.

Singh said the ever-evolving security scenario in the Indian Ocean and the Indo-Pacific region demands a more important role for the Indian Navy in the times to come.

“The Indo-Pacific region is important for the economy of the whole world. India is a responsible maritime stakeholder in the region. We support consensus-based principles and peaceful, open, rule-based and stable maritime order. Being an important country in this region, it is the primary objective of our Navy to keep the Indo-Pacific open, safe and secure,” he said.

Project 15B Ships

The Project 15B class of ships are the next-generation stealth, guided missile destroyers of the Navy being built at Mazagon Docks. Surat is the fourth of Project 15B destroyers. It heralds a significant makeover of the P15A (Kolkata Class) destroyers and is named after the commercial capital of Gujarat and also the second-largest commercial hub of western India, after Mumbai. Surat has a rich maritime and ship building history and vessels built at the city in the 16th and 18th centuries were known for their longevity (of more than 100 years).

The warship Surat has been built using the block construction method, which involved hull construction at two different geographical locations. The first ship of this class was commissioned in 2021. The second and third ships have been launched and are at different stages of outfitting or trials.

Following its traditions and policy guidelines, the Indian Navy has named the destroyer Surat after the commercial capital of Gujarat, which is famous for its rich maritime and shipbuilding history.

Surat is the fourth and last ship of the Indian Navy’s Project 15B guided missile destroyers. The Rs 35,000-crore project is a follow-up programme of Project 15, which was launched in the 1990s to add guided missile destroyers to the inventory of the Indian Navy. It came to be known as the Delhi-class and was followed by Project 15A or Kolkata-class which focused on advanced technology and equipment.

Project 15B or Vishakhapatnam-class, was launched to add four stealth guided-missile destroyers and was envisaged to incorporate technological advancements in the naval ships. The P-15B destroyers were to incorporate new design concepts for improved survivability, sea keeping, stealth and manoeuvrability.

In a statement earlier, the Indian Navy said enhanced stealth features were achieved through the shaping of hull and the use of radar transparent deck fittings which made these ships difficult to detect. On their special features, it said that ships of the P-15B programme will have state-of-the-art weapons and sensors, including a vertically launched missile system for long-distance engagement of shore and sea-based targets. These ships will be equipped to carry and operate two multiple role helicopters, it added.

The first ship of this class, INS Visakhapatnam, was commissioned in 2021. The other two—Mormugao and Imphal—have been launched but not commissioned yet. All three, including Surat, are likely to be commissioned between 2023 and 2025.

Project 17A Ships

Udaygiri, named after a mountain range in Andhra Pradesh, is the third of Project 17A frigates. They have improved stealth features, advanced weapons and sensors and platform management systems. Udaygiri is the reincarnation of the erstwhile Udaygiri, the Leander Class ASW frigate, which saw numerous challenging operations in its illustrious service to the country spanning over three decades from February 18, 1976 to August 24, 2007. Under the P17A programme, a total of seven ships are under construction–four at Mazagon Docks and three at Kolkata’s Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers.

Various novel concepts and technologies like integrated construction, mega block outsourcing, project data management/project lifecycle management etc have been adopted for the first time in indigenous warship design and construction.

The first two ships of P17A Project were launched in 2019 and 2020 at Mazagon Docks and Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers respectively.

Frigates are named after mountain ranges. The ship Udaygiri gets its name from a mountain range in Andhra Pradesh.

Udaygiri, is the third stealth frigate of the P-17A class. The programme is a follow-up of Project 17 or Shivalik-class which was approved by the government in the late 1990s to build multi-role stealth frigates, a type of Naval warship that comes below a destroyer.

Project 17A or Nilgiri-class, with an estimated cost of ₹45,000 crore, was envisaged to build seven advanced guided missile frigates with an improved degree of stealth features, improved anti-air and surface war capabilities in the form of advanced weapons, sensors and platform management systems.

The Project 17A frigates are being fitted with weapons and sensors along with an integrated platform management system. The project is said to have cost around Rs 45,000 crores.

The ships to be built under Project 17A are listed with Yard Nos as under-

INS Nilgiri             12651

INS Himgiri          12652

INS Udaygiri       12623

INS Dunagiri       12654

INS Taragiri         3022

INS Vindhyagiri 3023

INS Mahendragiri             3024

Characteristics. Project 17A frigates are 149m long and 17.8m wide. The ships are powered by two MAN Diesel 12V28/33D STC engine producing 6000 KW of power each and two General Electric LM2500 marine gas engine producing maximum power of 25060 KW.

The ship are equipped with EL/M-2248 MF-STAR S-band multifunctional radar developed by IAI ELTA, BEL HUMSA-NG bow sonar, and Ajanta Electronic warfare system.

Project 17A class frigate can accommodate two medium-sized helicopters such as HAL Dhruv or Sea king MK 42B.

Armament. Each Project 17A frigate will be equipped with 32 Barack and 8 Brahmos Surface to air missiles and these missiles will be fired from a vertical launch system. Each frigate will be fitted with one BAE 5 Inch 62 Calibre MK-45 Naval gun and two AK-630 M Close-in weapon system. Two RBU-6000 ASW rocket launchers will be fitted onboard the frigates for anti-submarine warfare.

Indigenous Projects

Falling in line with the government’s Atmanirbhar (self-reliance) push to cut down on defence imports, the Indian Navy’s efforts to indigenise its equipment and systems started early. In 2014, it implemented the Indigenisation Plan (INIP) 2015-2030 for indigenous development of its resources. It further ramped up its efforts with a focus on weapons and aviation-related equipment. As of April 2022, 39 of the 41 ships and submarines that were under construction were being built in Indian shipyards.

The post Warships of Project 15B and 17A Launched appeared first on IMR.

INS Visakhapatnam, the lead ship of Project 15B stealth guided missile destroyers being built at Mazagon Docks Limited (MDL), was delivered to the Indian Navy on 28 October. The contract for four ships of Project 15B, as the Visakhapatnam class ships are known, was signed on 28 January 2011. This project is a follow-on of the Kolkata class (Project 15A) destroyers commissioned in the last decade.

Designed by Directorate of Naval Design, Indian Navy’s in-house design organisation; and built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd, Mumbai; the four ships are christened after major cities from all four corners of the country viz. Visakhapatnam, Mormugao, Imphal and Surat.

The keel of Visakhapatnam was laid in October 2013 and the ship was launched in April 2015. The design has largely maintained the hull form, propulsion machinery, many platform equipment and major weapons & sensors as the Kolkata class to benefit from series production.

The 163 metres long warship has a full load displacement of 7400 tonnes and maximum speed of 30 knots. The overall indigenous content of the project is approx. 75%. Apart from myriad indigenous equipment in the ‘Float’ and ‘Move’ categories, the destroyer is also installed with major indigenous weapons which include: –

• Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missiles (BEL, Bangalore).
• BrahMos Surface-to-Surface Missiles (BrahMos Aerospace, New Delhi).
• Indigenous Torpedo Tube Launchers (Larsen & Toubro, Mumbai).
• Anti-Submarine Indigenous Rocket Launchers (Larsen & Toubro, Mumbai).
• 76mm Super Rapid Gun Mount (BHEL, Haridwar).

INS Tushil frigate launched

The 7th Indian Navy frigate of P1135.6 class was launched on 28 Oct 2021 at Yantar Shipyard, Kaliningrad, Russia During the ceremony, the ship was formally named as ‘Tushil’. Tushil is a Sanskrit word meaning Protector Shield.

Based on an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) between India and Russia for construction of two ships of Project 1135.6 ships in Russia and two ships in India at Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL), the contract for construction of two ships was signed between India and Russia in 18 October.

The construction of these ships is based on Indian Navy’s specific requirements to meet the entire spectrum of naval warfare in all three dimensions of air, surface and sub-surface. The ships with a potent combination of state-of-art Indian and Russian weapons and sensors are equipped to operate in littoral and blue waters, both as a single unit and as consort in a naval task force. They feature “stealth technology” in terms of low radar and under water noise signatures. These ships are being equipped with major Indian supplied equipment such as surface-to-surface missiles, sonar system, surface surveillance radar, communication suite and ASW system along with Russian surface-to-air missiles and gun mounts.

INS Vela Submarine delivered

The fourth submarine of the Project 75, Yard 11878, christened Vela, was delivered to the Indian Navy on 9 November. Project – 75 includes construction of six submarines of Scorpene design. These submarines are being constructed at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) Mumbai, under collaboration with Naval Group, France.

The submarine was launched on 6 May 2019, and has completed all major harbour and sea trials including weapon and sensor trials despite COVID restrictions. Three of these submarines are already in commission with the Indian Navy. Vela would soon be commissioned into the Indian Navy and enhance the Indian Navies capability.

INS Vikrant begins second phase of sea trials

India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC) Vikrant set sail on 24 October for the second sea trials, ahead of its planned induction into the Indian Navy by August next year. The 40,000-tonne aircraft carrier, the largest and most complex warship to be built in India, successfully completed a five-day maiden sea voyage in August.

Following the first sea trials, the Navy had said that the performance of key systems of the warship was found to be satisfactory. The warship has been built by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL).

The warship has been built at a cost of around ₹23,000 crore and its construction propelled India into a select group of countries having capabilities to build state-of-the-art aircraft carriers.

The warship will operate MiG-29K fighter jets, Kamov-31 helicopters, MH-60R multi-role helicopters. It has over 2,300 compartments, designed for a crew of around 1,700 people, including specialised cabins to accommodate women officers.

Vikrant has a top speed of around 28 knots and a cruising speed of 18 knots with an endurance of about 7,500 nautical miles, officials said. The IAC is 262 metres long, 62 metres wide and it has a height of 59 metres. Its construction began in 2009.

Eleventh P-8I aircraft received

The Indian Navy received the 11th anti-submarine warfare aircraft P-8I from the U.S.-based aerospace company Boeing, according to a statement issued on 18 October. A contract for eight P-8I aircraft was signed in 2009. Later, in 2016, India signed a contract for four additional P-8I aircraft.

The Indian Navy had received the ninth P-8I aircraft in November last year and got the 10th P-8I aircraft in July this year. The patrol aircraft is an integral part of the Indian Navy’s fleet and has surpassed 30,000 flight hours since it was inducted in 2013.

The post Navy Inducts Advanced Frigates, Aviation Assets appeared first on IMR.