• The Indian Navy commissioned its latest stealth guided missile destroyer INS Imphal at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai on December 26.

• The commissioning ceremony was attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde and Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R. Hari Kumar.

• It is the third stealth destroyer of Project 15B Class guided missile destroyer, indigenously designed by the Indian Navy’s in-house organisation, Warship Design Bureau and constructed by Mazagon Dock Limited, Mumbai. 

• INS Imphal is the first warship named after a city in the northeastern region, the approval for which was accorded by the President in April 2019.

What is Project 15B?

• Project 15B (Visakhapatnam class) is the latest in the lineage of Project 15A (Kolkata Class) and Project 15 (Delhi Class) indigenous destroyers with upgraded capabilities and greater indigenous content.

• The Project 15B class of ships are the next generation stealth guided missile destroyers of the Indian Navy being built at the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Mumbai.

• The contract for four ships of Project 15B was signed on January 28, 2011. The project is a follow-on of the Kolkata Class (Project 15A) destroyers commissioned in the last decade.

• Designed by the Warship Design Bureau, the four ships of the Project are named for major cities: Visakhapatnam, Mormugao, Imphal and Surat.

• The lead ship of the Project, INS Visakhapatnam, was commissioned into the Indian Navy on November 21, 2021.

• INS Mormugao, the second warship of the P15B class, was commissioned on December 18, 2022.

• INS Imphal was delivered to the Indian Navy on October 20, 2023 after completing a rigorous and comprehensive trial programme both in the harbour and at sea.

• The fourth ship — Surat — was launched on May 17, 2022 and is at an advanced stage of outfitting.

• P15B destroyers incorporate new design concepts for improved survivability, seakeeping and manoeuvrability. Enhanced stealth has also been achieved, making the ships difficult to detect.

• With a significantly increased indigenous content, P15B destroyers are a hallmark of self-reliance in warship design and building.

First warship with accommodation for women

• Imphal is the first naval warship being commissioned with accommodation for women officers and sailors.

• The ship is constructed using indigenous steel DMR 249A and is among the largest destroyers built in India, with an overall length of 164 metres and a displacement of over 7,500 tonnes.

• It is a potent platform capable of undertaking a variety of tasks and missions, spanning the full spectrum of maritime warfare.

• It is armed with supersonic surface-to-surface ‘Brahmos’ missiles and ‘Barak-8’ medium range surface-to-air missiles. 

• The time taken to build INS Imphal and undergo trials has been the shortest for any indigenous destroyer. 

• Towards undersea warfare capability, the destroyer is fitted with indigenously developed anti-submarine weapons and sensors, prominently the hull mounted sonar Humsa NG, heavy weight torpedo tube launchers and ASW rocket launchers.

• Imphal’s all-round capability against enemy submarines, surface warships, anti-ship missiles and fighter aircraft will enable it to operate independently without supporting vessels, and also function as the flagship of a naval task force.

• Imphal is the first among all P15B ships to be fitted with upgraded Brahmos missiles having dual role capability of long range and land attack.

• The ship can accommodate a crew of 315 persons, has an endurance of 4,000 nautical miles and can carry out a typical 42-day mission with extended mission time in out of area operation.

• The ship is equipped with two helicopters on board to further extend its reach. It is propelled by a powerful Combined Gas and Gas Propulsion Plant (COGAG), consisting of four reversible gas turbines, which enables Imphal to achieve a speed of over 30 knots.

• The ship boasts of a very high level of automation with sophisticated digital networks such as Gigabyte Ethernet based Ship Data Network (GESDN), Combat Management System (CMS), Automatic Power Management System (APMS) and Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS).

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