Indian Navy Receives First P15B Guided-Missile Destroyer

31 Oct 2021

The Navy received its first P15B stealth guided-missile destroyer on October 28, Thursday, said an official statement on Saturday. The destroyer was being built at Mazgaon Dock Limited (MDL).

The contract for four ships of Project 15B, as the Visakhapatnam class ships are known, was signed in January 2011. This project is a follow-on of the Kolkata class (Project 15A) destroyers commissioned in the last decade.

Designed by the Directorate of Naval Design, Indian Navy’s in-house design organisation, and built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd, Mumbai, the four ships are christened after major cities from all four corners of the country, such as Visakhapatnam, Mormugao, Imphal and Surat.

The keel of Visakhapatnam was laid in October, 2013 and the ship was launched in April 2015. The design has largely maintained the hull form, propulsion machinery, many platform equipment and major weapons and sensors as the Kolkata class to benefit from series production.

The 163-metres-long warship has a full-load displacement of 7,400 tonnes and a maximum speed of 30 knots. The overall indigenous content of the project is approximately 75%.

Apart from myriad indigenous equipment in the ‘Float’ and ‘Move’ categories, the destroyer is also installed with major indigenous weapons

• Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missiles (BEL, Bangalore).
• BrahMos Surface-to-Surface Missiles (BrahMos Aerospace, New Delhi).
• Indigenous Torpedo Tube Launchers (Larsen & Toubro, Mumbai).
• Anti-Submarine Indigenous Rocket Launchers (Larsen & Toubro, Mumbai).
• 76mm Super Rapid Gun Mount (BHEL, Haridwar).

The delivery of Visakhapatnam is an affirmation of the impetus being given by the government of India and the Indian Navy towards ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ as part of 75 years of Indian Independence.

The induction of the destroyer, despite the Covid challenges, is a tribute to the collaborative efforts of large number of stake holders and would enhance the maritime prowess of the country in the Indian Ocean Region.

Courtesy: India Today