INS Visakhapatnam

Why in news?

• The Indigenously built stealth guided-missile destroyer INS Visakhapatnam was formally affiliated to the port city of Visakhapatnam.
• The destroyer will be under the Western Naval Command based in Mumbai.
• Earlier we had ships named after Delhi, Mumbai, Kochi and Mysore.

About INS Visakhapatnam:

• It is the first of the stealth guided-missile destroyers being indigenously constructed under Project 15B.
• Built in the Mazgaon Docks with 75 per cent Indian content, INS Visakhapatnam was commissioned into the Navy in December 2021.
• The warship is equipped to fight under Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) warfare conditions.
• The ship is propelled by a powerful combined gas and gas (COGAG) propulsion plant, consisting of four reversible gas turbines, which enables it to achieve a speed of over 30 knots or approximately 55 km/hr.

About Project 15B:

• India’s indigenous destroyer construction programme commenced in the late 1990s with the three Delhi class (P-15 class) warships and this was followed by three Kolkata class (P-15A) destroyers commissioned a decade later.
• Presently, under the P-15B (Visakhapatnam Class), a total of four warships are planned (Visakhapatnam, Mormugao, Imphal, Surat).
• The destroyers come next only to an Aircraft Carrier (INS Vikramaditya) in terms of their reach and endurance.

Features of the P-15B Ships:

• These ships are equipped with BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and long-range Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAM).
• The ship has several indigenous weapons systems like medium range Surface-to-Air Missile (SAMs), indigenous torpedo tube launchers, anti-submarine indigenous rocket launchers and 76-mm super rapid gun mount.

Significance of INS Visakhapatnam:

• This will help the Indian Navy deal with emerging threats in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
• This destroyer made in India has onboard state of the art sensors and weapons and also modern surveillance radars.
• This will also augment the navy’s mobility, flexibility and reach.

PRACTICE QUESTION:

With reference to ‘International Atomic Energy Agency’, consider the following statements:

1. It is the first of the stealth guided-missile destroyers being indigenously constructed in India

2. It is equipped to fight under Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) warfare conditions.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer