INS Mormugao is the second of the four Visakhapatnam class destroyers. It has been designed and built in India. Image courtesy: @rajnathsingh/Twitter
India continues to take strides to boost its maritime and combat capabilities. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh commissioned INS Mormugao, a P15B stealth-guided missile destroyer, into the Indian Navy in Mumbai. Built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDSL), the ship named after an important port city in Goa was commissioned on Sunday, a day before Goa Liberation Day.
Also read: How INS Visakhapatnam gives Indian Navy an advantage over China in Indian Ocean
What we know about INS Mormugao
The warship is 163 metres long and 17.4 metres wide. Propelled by four powerful gas turbines, it can achieve a maximum speed of 30 knots. INS Mormugao displaces 7400 tonnes when fully loaded. The destroyer has approximately 75 per cent of indigenous content.
The ship has state-of-the-art weapons and sensors like surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles. It is equipped with the Barak-8 surface-to-air missiles and BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles for shore and sea-based targets. It also has a 70-kilometre medium-range surface missile system, torpedo, and anti-rocket launchers.
For close-point defence, its forward deck has a 127 mm main gun and four AK-630 30 mm guns. INS Mormugao can operate two multi-role helicopters, Sea King or HAL Dhruv and has a rail-less helicopter traversing and a hangar facility, according to a report by The Indian Express.
Graphic: Pranay Bhardwaj
The destroyer comes with a modern surveillance radar that provides target data to the weapon systems and can fight under nuclear, biological and chemical warfare conditions.
INS Mormugao is operated by a crew of 350, including 50 officers and 250 sailors. After completing basin trials on 15 December 2021, the ship undertook its first sea sortie on 19 December 2021, as Goa celebrated 60 years of liberation from Portuguese rule.
INS Mormugao is the second of Project 15B destroyers built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited. It is designed by the Navy’s in-house design organisation Warship Design Bureau.
INS Mormugao was commissioned in Mumbai on Sunday in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan, Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar and other dignitaries. Image courtesy: @rajnathsingh/Twitter
What is Project 15B?
Three guided missile destroyers of the Kolkata class – INS Kolkata, INS Kochi, and INS Chennai – were commissioned by the Indian Navy over the past decade. These were part of Project 15A and were superior to the earlier Delhi class of ships (INS Delhi, INS Mysore, and INS Mumbai).
In January 2011, a contract for a guided missile was forged. This was part of Project 15B. The Visakhapatnam class ships would be more advanced than the Kolkata class.
INS Visakhapatnam (Pennant D66) the first warship of Project 15B was commissioned into the Indian Navy in November 2021. Then came INS Mormugao, named after the historic port city in Goa. The other vessels, which are part of this project, will be named after two other Indian cities, Imphal and Surat.
A ship class is identified by its lead ship. In the case of Project 15A, the lead ship is INS Kolkata and in Project 15B, the lead ship is INS Visakhapatnam.
The warship can fight under nuclear, biological and chemical warfare conditions. Image courtesy: @DefPROMumbai/Twitter
Why INS Mormugao is significant?
The Visakhapatnam class is one of the most advanced ships in the Indian Navy and is considered an asset in modern “network-centric warfare”. These ships operate as an independent offence platform even when not part of a larger formation, The Indian Express reports.
The speed, manoeuvrability, and strike capability make these destroyers a cut above the rest.
Graphic: Pranay Bhardwaj
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said INS Mormugao is one of the most powerful warships made in India and will make a remarkable growth in Indian maritime capabilities. “INS Mormugao is one of the world’s most technologically advanced missile carriers,” he said at the event on Sunday.
“The systems in INS Mormugao will be able to satisfy not just present but also future needs. It is also an example of our indigenous defence production capability. In the future, we will do shipbuilding for the world,” he added.
The warship will provide a boost to our naval defence as China attempts to grab strategic space in the Indian Ocean Region. INS Mormugao will significantly add to the Navy’s combat capabilities, a defence release said.
With inputs from agencies
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