India-made state-of-the-art warship INS Visakhapatnam, a P15B stealth-guided missile destroyer, was commissioned into the Indian Navy at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai on Sunday in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
The event marks the formal induction of the first of four ‘Visakhapatnam’ class destroyers, indigenously designed by the Indian Navy’s in-house organisation Directorate of Naval Design and constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Mumbai, according to a defence ministry statement.
The Defence Minister termed INS Visakhapatnam as a symbol of the growing maritime prowess of the country and a major milestone in achieving Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Make in India, Make for the World’.
The ship is packed with sophisticated state-of-the-art sensors and weapons such as Surface-to-Surface missiles and Surface-to-Air missiles, the defence ministry said.
It is fitted with a modern surveillance radar which provides target data to the gunnery weapon systems of the ship. The anti-submarine warfare capabilities are provided by the indigenously developed rocket launchers, torpedo launchers and ASW helicopters. The ship is equipped to fight under Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) warfare conditions, the statement added.
A unique feature of this ship is the high level of indigenisation incorporated in the production, accentuating the national objective of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’. Some of the major indigenised equipment/system onboard INS Visakhapatnam include Combat Management System, Rocket Launcher, Torpedo Tube Launcher, Integrated Platform Management System, Automated Power Management System, Foldable Hangar Doors, Helo Traversing system, Close-in Weapon System and the Bow mounted SONAR.
With the changing power dynamics in the Indian Ocean Region, INS Visakhapatnam will augment the Indian Navy’s mobility, reach and flexibility towards accomplishment of its tasks and goals.
Named after the historic city of Andhra Pradesh on the east coast, Visakhapatnam, the ‘City of Destiny’, the ship has a total complement of about 315 personnel. Enhanced crew comfort is a significant feature of INS Visakhapatnam, which has been ensured through ergonomically designed accommodation based on ‘modular’ concepts.
The ship will be under the command of Captain Birendra Singh Bains, a Navigation & Direction specialist.
