• Indian Navy warships INS Surat, INS Nilgiri and INS Vaghsheer were commissioned at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai on January 15.

• INS Surat, the fourth and final vessel of the Project 15B stealth destroyer class, is a follow-on to the Kolkata-class destroyers.

• It incorporates improvements in design and capability, making it a critical addition to the Navy's surface fleet. 

• It has an indigenous content of 75 per cent and is equipped with state-of-the-art weapon-sensor packages and advanced network-centric capabilities. 

What is Project 15B?

• 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 Indian Navy’s in-house organisation, and built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders, 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, the third in the series, was commissioned on December 26, 2023. Imphal is the first naval warship commissioned with accommodation for women officers and sailors.

• The fourth ship — Surat — was launched on May 17, 2022.

• 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.