On 21 November 2021, the Indian Navy commissioned INS Visakhapatnam, a P15B stealth guided missile destroyer, at the Naval Dockyard, Mumbai
According to the Indian Navy, the new warship will increase its capabilities and firepower to tackle threats both on the surface and under the water
INS Visakhapatnam is the first of four ships under Project P15B of the Indian Navy, laid down in October 2013 and launched in April 2015
P15B is India's third domestic frigate construction project and a development from Project P15
(with three 6,200-ton Dehli-class destroyers) and Project P15A (with three 7,400-ton Kolkata-class destroyers)
In his address, the Indian Ministry of Defence, Raksha Mantri termed INS Visakhapatnam as a symbol of the growing maritime prowess of the country
and a major milestone in achieving Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Make in India, Make for the World’
He added that the ship is a reminder of ancient and medieval India’s maritime power, shipbuilding skills and glorious history
INS Visakhapatnam has a displacement of about 7,400 tons, a length of 163 m, a beam of 17.4 m, and a draft of 6.5 m
She can be considered as one of the most powerful warships ever built domestically in India
The ship has enhanced stealth features resulting in a reduced Radar Cross Section achieved through efficient shaping of hull
full beam superstructure design, plated masts and use of radar transparent materials on exposed decks
The propulsion system is Combined gas and gas, including four powerful gas turbines, capable of achieving speeds in excess of 30 knots
The ship is packed with sophisticated state-of-the-art weapons and sensors such as Surface-to-Surface missile and Surface-to-Air missiles
16-cell VLS, for a total of 32 Barak-8ER SAM, 16-cell VLS, for 16 BrahMos anti-ship missiles
Other weapons include 1 × OTO Melara 76 mm naval gun, 4 × AK-630M CIWS, 2 x OFT 12.7 mm M2 Stabilized Remote Controlled Guns
The anti-submarine warfare capabilities are provided by the indigenously developed rocket launchers, torpedo launchers and ASW helicopters
It is fitted with a modern surveillance radar which provides target data to the gunnery weapon systems of the ship
the IAI EL/M-2248 MF-STAR S-Band AESA radar, Terma Scanter-6002 X-Band multi-function surface-search radar
Thales LW-08 D-Band air-search radar
The ship is equipped to fight under Nuclear, Biological and Chemical warfare conditions
A unique feature of this ship is the high level of indigenisation incorporated in the production
The ship has a total complement of about 315 personnel
With the changing power dynamics in the Indian Ocean Region, INS Visakhapatnam will augment the Indian Navy’s mobility
reach and flexibility towards accomplishment of its tasks and goals