Imphal, Indian Navy’s third indigenous stealth destroyer of the Project 15B class, planned to be commissioned later this year, undertook her maiden sea sortie today. The ship incorporates several niche technologies and high indigenous content and is designed in-house by the Navy’s Warship Design Bureau and constructed by Mazagon Dock Ltd. (MDL) stands proud testimony to the Indian Navy’s thrust on the national vision of ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat’ and ‘Make in India’ initiative.
Imphal will add significantly to the Indian Navy’s combat capabilities. With the recent commissioning of her predecessor INS Mormugao in December 2022 and the fifth Project 75 submarine INS Vagir in January 2023, commencement of sea trials of Imphal is yet another important milestone in MDL’s continued contribution towards building a strong, modern and self-reliant India.
About INS Imphal:
INS Imphal is the third ship of the Visakhapatnam-class stealth guided missile destroyer (Project 15B class) of the Indian Navy. It is being constructed at Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) and was launched on 20 April 2019. The ship is expected to be commissioned by 2023.
General Characteristics
Some of the major characteristics of INS Imphal are as under:-
Type: Guided missile destroyer
Displacement: 7,400 t (7,300 long tons; 8,200 short tons)
Length: 163 m (535 ft)
Beam: 17.4 m (57 ft)
Draft: 6.5 m (21 ft)
Propulsion: COGAG
2 x Zorya M36E gas turbines, 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 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Endurance: 45 days
Boats & landing craft carried: 4 x RHIB
Crew: 300 (50 officers + 250 sailors)
Sensors and processing systems
Radar: –
IAI EL/M-2248 MF-STAR S-Band AESA radar
BEL RAWL-02/LW-08 L-Band air-search radar
Terma/Tata Scanter-6002 X-Band surface-search radar
Sonar: –
BEL HUMSA-NG active/passive sonar
BEL “Nagin” active towed-array sonar
Combat Suite: – “Combat Management System” (CMS)
Electronic warfare & decoys:
DRDO “Shakti” EW suite (equipped with ESM/ECM and “Radar Finger Printing System” (RFPS))
DRDO “Nayan” COMINT suite
Decoys:-
4 x Kavach decoy launchers
2 x Maareech torpedo-countermeasure systems
Armament: –
Anti-air warfare:-
4 × 8-cell VLS, for a total of 32 Barak 8 surface-to-air missiles
Anti-surface warfare: –
2 x 8-cell VLS, for 16 BrahMos anti-ship missiles
Anti-submarine warfare: –
4 × 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes
2 × RBU-6000 anti-submarine rocket launchers
Guns :-
1 × OTO Melara 76 mm naval gun
4 x AK-630M CIWS
2 x OFT 12.7 mm M2 Stabilized Remote Controlled Gun
Aircraft carried 2 × HAL Dhruv (or) Sea King Mk. 42B
Aviation facilities: Enclosed helicopter hangar and flight deck capable of accommodating two multi-role helicopters.
Specification Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INS_Imphal_(D68)
