''Visakhapatnam''-class destroyer

INS Visakhapatnam, first ship in class
Class overview
Name: Visakhapatnam class
Builders: Mazagon Dock Limited
Operators:  Indian Navy
Preceded by: Kolkata class
Cost: ₹29,340 crore (US$4 billion)
Planned: 4
Building: 4
General characteristics
Type: Stealth guided missile destroyer
Displacement: 7,400 t (7,300 long tons; 8,200 short tons)[1]
Length: 163 m (535 ft)
Beam: 17.4 m (57 ft)
Draft: 6.5 m (21 ft)
Propulsion:
  • Combined gas and gas system: Twin Zorya M36E gas turbine plants with 4 × DT-59 reversible gas turbines and 2 × RG-54 gearboxes
  • 2 × Bergen/GRSE KVM-diesel engines, 9,900 hp (7,400 kW) each
  • 4 × 1 MWe Wärtsilä WCM-1000 generator sets driving Cummins KTA50G3 engines and Kirloskar 1 MV AC generators
Speed: In excess of 30 knots (56 km/h)
Range: 4,000 nautical miles (7,400 km; 4,600 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)[2]
Crew: 300 (50 officers and 250 sailors)
Sensors and
processing systems:
Electronic warfare
& decoys:		 Kavach chaff system
Armament:
Aircraft carried: 2 × Sea King or HAL Dhruv helicopters
Aviation facilities:

The Visakhapatnam class (Project 15B) is a class of stealth guided missile destroyers currently under construction for the Indian Navy. The class comprises four ships - Visakhapatnam, Mormugao, Paradip and Porbandar all of which are being built by the Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) in India, and will be the largest destroyers to be operated by the Indian Navy.[8][4]

The destroyers are an improved version of the Kolkata-class (Project 15A) and will feature enhanced stealth characteristics. The first ship is expected to enter service in 2021.

Development

In January 2011, the Cabinet Committee on Security approved for a follow-on class of the earlier Project 15A Kolkata-class destroyers. The aim of the follow-on class was to retain the same hull as the earlier class but incorporate significant changes in the superstructure and improve the ship's stealth characteristics. A total of four destroyers were ordered under Project 15B with a total cost of ₹29,340 crore (US$4 billion).[9][10]

Construction

Construction for the class began in 2013 and the keel of the first ship was laid in October 2013.[11] The build time for the class is expected to be shorter than the Kolkata class, as no major re-designing involved. Due to this, each warship is expected to save US$1 billion in costs. The first ship was launched on 20 April 2015 and is expected to join the Indian Navy by 2021, with the follow on ships being delivered annually.[8][12]

Design and description

The Visakhapatnam class shares similar dimensions to the previous Kolkata class, however it incorporates a flush deck, a better acoustic signature and infrared signature reduction systems. The class has a displacement of 7,400 tonnes (or 7,300 long tons).[1][13] It has been designed by Indian Navy's in-house unit Directorate of Naval Design. Saint Petersburg's Northern Design Bureau was consulted during the design phase to reduce the size of design's superstructure. Russia's Baltic Shipyard was contracted to provide four sets of line shafts while the Zorya gas turbines of the ship were sourced in Ukraine.[14][15][13][16][17]L&T has been contracted to provide Integrated Platform Management System, Automated Power Management System, main switchboard, degaussing system and DA local control panels. According to the Indian Navy, 65 percent of the class will be indigenously sourced, including eleven of its weapon and sensor systems.[18][4]

The class have a length of 163 m (535 ft), a beam of 17.4 m (57 ft) and a draught of 6.5 m (21 ft) and a maximum speed of over 30 knots.[19] Aviation facilities include an enclosed deck and is capable of operating two helicopters simultaneously. The class will be fitted with the Nirbhay land-attack cruise missile, 8-16 supersonic BrahMos anti-ship and land-attack missiles and 32 Barak 8-ER SAMs. All the missiles will be fitted into a Universal Vertical Launcher Module (UVLM). Four AK-630 close-in weapon systems (CIWS) will provide the ship with close-in-defence capability. Twin tube torpedo launchers and RBU-6000 Smerch-2 rocket launchers will provide anti-submarine warfare capability.[20][4] The primary radar sensor of the class is the EL/M-2248 MF-STAR multi-mission AESA. It is also equipped with Thales LW-08 long range volume search radar.[4] Each ship of the class will have a complement of 50 officers and 250 sailors.[21]

Difference with Kolkata class

There is little difference in the external appearance of Project 15A Kolkata class and the Project 15B Visakhapatnam as they share the same hull design. However, they differ in internal fitments that separates the two destroyer classes.[22][23][4]

  • The class will be armed with a 127 mm main gun
  • The sonar will be relocated from hull to the bow
  • A revised bridge layout and mast design to reduce radar cross-section
  • A rail-less helicopter traversing system to secure the helicopter
  • A network-centric layout with a Ship Data Network (SDN), an Automatic Power Management System (APMS) and a Combat Management System (CMS)

Ships in class

Name Pennant Yard No Builder Laid down Launched Commissioning Homeport Status
INS Visakhapatnam D 66 12704 Mazagon Dock Limited 12 October 2013[24][25] 20 April 2015[26] 2021 (expected)[12] Launched
INS Mormugao D 67 12705 4 June 2015[27] 17 September 2016[28] 2022 (expected) Launched
INS Paradip[29][30] D 68 12706 19 May 2017[31] 2023 (expected) Under construction
INS Porbandar[22] D 69 12707 2024 (expected) Under construction[32]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "INS Visakhapatnam', First Ship of Project 15B launched". indiannavy.nic.in. Indian Navy (News). Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  2. ↑ Vishakapatnam class
  3. 1 2 3 4 Bedi, Rahul. "India launches first-of-class Project 15B destroyer". IHS Jane's Navy International. Archived from the original on 22 April 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Gady, Franz-Stefan. "China Beware: Here Comes India's Most Powerful Destroyer". The Diplomat. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  5. ↑ Israel ship missile test for India, The Telegraph, 28 November 2015
  6. ↑ Gen Next missile defence shield built by Israel and India clears first hurdle, The Times of India, 28 November 2015
  7. ↑ Pandit, Rajat (29 September 2016). "Operational gaps handicap military on several fronts". The Times of India.
  8. 1 2 Sheshrao, Vishnudas (15 April 2015). "Indigenously built warship ready for launch". freepressjournal. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  9. ↑ Unnithan, Sandeep (18 March 2009). "Govt okays construction of 4 more stealth destroyers". India Today. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  10. ↑ "INS Visakhapatnam: 11 things you need to know about India's latest destroyer warship". dna. 2015-04-20. Retrieved 2017-11-22.
  11. ↑ "Keel Laid For Yard 12704 (1st ship of P15 Bravo)" (PDF). mazagondock.gov.in. 12 October 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
  12. 1 2 Ghaswalla, Amrita Nair (27 December 2017). "Advanced guided missile destroyers delayed by 3 years". The Hindu Business Line. Mumbai: The Hindu Group.
  13. 1 2 "Project 15B". Global Security. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
  14. ↑ "Russia to help India build 4 guided-missile destroyers". Indrus. 18 April 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
  15. ↑ "Directorate of Naval Design (DND (SSG))". Archived from the original on 2015-01-08. Retrieved 2015-04-21.
  16. ↑ "Navy's Next Destroyer Line Christened Visakhapatnam-class, 1st Launch Next Week". LiveFist defence. 15 April 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  17. ↑ "INS Visakhapatnam: 11 things you need to know about India's latest destroyer warship". dna. 20 April 2015. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  18. ↑ "L&T marine" (PDF).
  19. ↑ "Indian Navy launches Mormugao, 2nd warship of Visakhapatnam class, in Mumbai". Livemint. PTI. 2016-09-17. Retrieved 2017-11-22.
  20. ↑ "Navy warms up to launch stealth destroyer Visakhapatnam". OneIndia. 4 May 2015.
  21. ↑ "2nd 'Made In India' warship launched in Mazagon - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  22. 1 2 Som, Vishnu (17 April 2015). "All About the INS Visakhapatnam, Navy's Most Powerful Destroyer". NDTV. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  23. ↑ Anand, Deevakar (17 April 2015). "Navy to launch its largest destroyer INS Vishakhapatnam". DNA India. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  24. ↑ "Keel Laid for P15 Bravo Ships". The Times of India. Mumbai. 25 October 2013.
  25. ↑ "Mazagon Dock Keel Laying Ceremony" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-02-02.
  26. ↑ "First Indian Navy Project 15B - Visakhapatnam-class Destroyer Launched". 21 April 2015.
  27. ↑ "Mazagon Dock News" (PDF).
  28. ↑ "Second warship of Visakhapatnam class launched in Mumbai". The Hindu Business Line. PTI. 17 September 2016.
  29. ↑ "Bengaluru's loss is Vizag's gain in naming warship". Deccan Herald. DHNS. 16 April 2015.
  30. ↑ "Second P15B destroyer to be launched on Saturday". Business Standard India. IANS. 14 September 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  31. ↑ "Keel laid for the third ship of P15B class destroyers". The Free Press Journal. 2017-05-26. Archived from the original on 2017-09-22. Retrieved 2017-05-26.
  32. ↑ "MDL Stats Production of 4th Destroyer of Visakhapatnam Class". Retrieved 18 July 2018.
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