Here’s All You Need To Know About INS Chennai - The Navy’s Largest Ever ‘Made In India’ Destroyer

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar commissioned “INS Chennai” into service today (21 November). The Kolkata-class guided missile destroyer has been built by Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) in Mumbai.

Among the largest destroyers constructed in India, INS Chennai is 164m long with a displacement of over 7,500 tonnes, and sails at a top speed of over 30 knots (around 55km) per hour.

Armed with supersonic surface-to-surface BrahMos missiles and Barak-8 Long Rang Surface-to-Air missiles, its undersea warfare capability includes indigenously developed anti-submarine weapons and sensors, prominently the hull-mounted sonar HUMSA-NG, heavyweight torpedo tube launchers, rocket launchers and towed array sonar capability.

For defence against enemy missiles, INS Chennai is fitted with 'Kavach' chaff decoy system and for protection from enemy torpedoes, has 'Mareech' torpedo decoy system, both developed in India. A potent platform capable of undertaking a variety of tasks and missions spanning the full spectrum of maritime warfare, she can carry and operated two multi-role helicopters.

INS Chennai is propelled by a powerful combined gas and propulsion plant consisting of four reversible gas turbines. Her very high level of automation with sophisticated digital networks on board includes integrated ship data network, combat management systems, automatic power management system and auxiliary control system. The ship’s crest depicts the outline of the iconic Fort St. George of Chennai in the background, a part of the adjacent beach and a sloop on blue and white waves.

(Picture: INS Kolkata entering Mombasa, Kenya, Photo by Indian Navy)