• INS Visakhapatnam, a P15B stealth guided missile destroyer, was commissioned into the Indian Navy in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at the Naval Dockyard, Mumbai. 

• The indigenously-built stealth guided missile destroyer, packed with an array of missiles and anti-submarine rockets, was commissioned in presence of top naval commanders. 

• The event marks the formal induction of the first of the 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. 

Main features of INS Visakhapatnam:

• INS Visakhapatnam measures 163 metres in length and 17 metres in breadth with a displacement of 7,400 tonnes and can rightfully be regarded as one of the most potent warships to have been constructed in India.

• The ship is propelled by four powerful gas turbines, in a Combined Gas and Gas (COGAG) configuration, capable of achieving speeds in excess of 30 knots.

• The ship has enhanced stealth features resulting in a reduced Radar Cross Section (RCS) achieved through efficient shaping of hull, full beam superstructure design, plated masts and use of radar transparent materials on exposed decks. 

• The ship is also packed with sophisticated state-of-the-art weapons and sensors such as surface-to-surface missile and surface-to-air missiles.

• 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 Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) helicopters. 

• The ship is equipped to fight under Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) warfare conditions.

• 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.

• 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. 

• 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.

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