On 26th December 2023,the Indian Navy (IN) commissioned the Indian Naval Ship (INS) Imphal(Yard 12706), a Stealth Guided Missile Destroyer, at Naval Dockyard, Mumbai, Maharashtra in the presence of Union Minister Rajnath Singh, Ministry of Defence (MoD).
It is the third of four Project 15B ‘Visakhapatnam’ class destroyers designed by the IN’s Warship Design Bureau (WDB) and built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Mumbai.
Features:
i.The ship is 163 meters long, 17m in breadth, has a displacement of 7,400 tons, and is capable of attaining speed in excess of 30 knots (56 km/hour).
ii.It is propelled by four powerful Gas Turbines, in a Combined Gas turbine and Gas turbine (COGAG) propulsion, and is capable of speeds in excess of 30 knots.
iii.Equipped with advanced weapons, sensors, high automation, survivability and surveillance radar, it can operate under Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical (NBC) warfare conditions.
iv.It features enhanced stealth with reduced Radar Cross Section
- Stealth achieved through hull shaping, full beam superstructure design, plated masts, and radar transparent material on decks
v.Armament: Surface-to-Surface and Surface-to-Air Missiles, Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) rocket and Torpedo launchers, ASW helicopters, and Electronic Warfare systems
INS IMPHAL: A conglomeration of different Entities in India
This ship emphasizes ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ with 75% indigenization, and also a conglomeration of different Entities in India like Brahmos missile by Brahmos Aerospace; Torpedo tube launchers by Larsen & Toubro (L&T); Rapid Gun Mount by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL); Medium Range missiles by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).
- It also involves participation from numerous start-ups and MSMEs (Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises).
- Other indigenous systems include Combat Management, Rocket Launcher, Platform Management, Power Management, Hangar Doors, Helo Traversing, Close-in Weapon System, Bow-mounted SONAR (Sound Navigation and Ranging).
Project 15B
i.The fourth destroyer, ‘Surat’ of Project 15B will commissioned in 2024.
ii.The first two destroyers of Project 15B i.e. INS Visakhapatnam and INS Mormugao were commissioned in 2021 and 2022 respectively.
iii.INSÂ Imphal is the first warship named after a Northeastern city, signifies the region’s importance. The name approval for the same was given by then-President of India Ram Nath Kovind.
- Its keel laid on May 19, 2017, launched on April 20, 2019, and delivered to IN on October 20, 2023.
- Click Here to Read about its Delivery to IN
iv.India’s indigenous guided missile destroyer program started in the 1990s with Project 15 (Delhi-Class Destroyer). It continued with Project 15A (Kolkata-class) and is currently advancing with Project 15B.
Key Participants:
Chief of Naval Staff (CNA), Admiral Radhakrishnan Hari Kumar; Maharashtra Chief Minister (CM) Eknath Shinde; Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C), Western Naval Command Vice Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi; and Director (Finance) with Additional Charge of Chairman & Managing Director, MDL Sanjeev Singhal.
Recent Related News:
i.The Security Exercise Prasthan 2023 was carried out by Commodore Rajneesh Sharma Naval Officer-in-Charge (NOIC), under the aegis of Eastern Naval Command, Indian Navy (IN) in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh (AP). The exercise was conducted on the Rig ship Platinum Explorer of ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation) and RG Fixed Oil Platform of Vedanta Ltd.
ii.On 4th October 2023, Union Minister Rajnath Singh, Ministry of Defence(MoD), launched Swavlamban 2023 (Swavlamban 2.0), the 2nd edition of the Indian Navy’s Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation (NIIO) seminar, in New Delhi, Delhi. The 2-day seminar was held from 4th to 5th October 2023.
About Indian Navy (IN):
Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS)– Admiral Radhakrishnan Hari Kumar
Headquarters– Integrated Defence Headquarters, Ministry of Defence, New Delhi, Delhi
