Indian Navy Inducts Third Project-15B Stealth Destroyer, Armed With BrahMos And Barak-8 Missiles, Four Months Ahead Of Schedule

Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) delivered the third stealth Visakhapatnam class destroyer, 'INS Imphal,' to the Indian Navy, four months ahead of the contractual schedule.

This is noteworthy as it's the first naval warship designed to accommodate women officers and sailors, stated MDL.

Imphal is constructed using indigenous DMR 249A steel and is one of the largest destroyers ever built in India, with an overall length of 164 meters and a displacement of over 7,500 tonnes.

The MDL noted that Imphal is a formidable platform capable of a wide range of maritime warfare tasks and missions.

It is armed with supersonic Surface-to-Surface 'Brahmos' missiles and 'Barak-8' Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missiles.

In terms of undersea warfare capability, the destroyer is equipped with indigenously developed anti-submarine weapons and sensors, including the hull-mounted sonar Humsa NG, heavy-weight torpedo tube launchers, and ASW rocket launchers.

Imphal's comprehensive capabilities enable it to effectively counter enemy submarines, surface warships, anti-ship missiles, and fighter aircraft, allowing it to operate independently without additional support vessels.

Imphal was delivered to the Indian Navy more than four months ahead of the contractual timeline.

The ship successfully completed all sea trials in three CSTs (contractor's sea trials), which included the firing of major critical weapons during the very first CST.

Notably, Imphal is the first among all P15B ships to be equipped with upgraded Brahmos missiles with dual-role capabilities, offering long-range and land-attack capabilities.

The vessel can accommodate a crew of 312 personnel, has an endurance of 4,000 nautical miles, and can execute a typical 42-day mission with extended operational time during out-of-area operations.

Imphal is also equipped with two helicopters on board, expanding its operational range. It is propelled by a powerful combined gas and gas propulsion plant, consisting of four reversible gas turbines, enabling it to achieve speeds exceeding 30 knots (approximately 55 kilometres per hour).

The ship boasts a high level of automation with advanced digital networks, such as the Gigabit Ethernet-based Ship Data Network, Combat Management System, Automatic Power Management System, and Integrated Platform Management System.

The P15B class destroyers have 72 per cent indigenous content, surpassing its predecessors, the P15A (59 per cent) and P15 (42 per cent) class destroyers.

This reaffirms the Indian government's commitment to the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' (self-reliant India) programme and underscores the substantial ecosystem development of sub-vendors.

The first ship of the P15B class, Visakhapatnam, was commissioned on 21 November 2021, while the second ship, Mormugao, was commissioned on 18 December 2022. The fourth ship, Surat, was launched on 17 May 2022, and is currently in an advanced stage of outfitting.