Rajnath Singh commissions warship INS Visakhapatnam to make Navy 'Aatmanirbhar'

In a boost to Aatmanirbhar Bharat and to celebrate 75 years of India's Independence, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh commissioned the stealth-guided missile destroyer INS Visakhapatnam, armed with the lethal BrahMos and Barak-8 missiles, with top Indian Navy brass in attendance.

The warship is the first in the series of Project 15B class of ships and is commanded by Captain Birendra Bians. It has been made at the Mumbai-based Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL), the premier defence shipyard located in Mumbai.

A total of four vessels — INS Visakhapatnam, Mormugao, Imphal and Surat — are to be made by the MDL.

Admiral Karambir Singh, the Chief of Naval Staff and Vice Admiral R Harikumar, the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Western Naval Command, who is the CNS-designate, were present at the event. Vice Admiral (Retd) Narayan Prasad, the Chairman and Managing Director, MDL, was also present.

The construction of the ship, designated as Yard 12704 started on 18 January, 2012. Its keel was laid on October 12, 2013 and it was launched on April 20, 2015. The MDL was handed over the ship to the Indian Navy on October 28, 2021.

Earlier, the MDL had delivered the Delhi-class and Kolkata-class destroyers.

The ship is constructed using indigenous steel DMR 249A and is amongst the largest destroyers constructed in India, with an overall length of 164 meters and a displacement of over 7,500 tons.

The destroyer is fitted with indigenously developed anti-submarine weapons and sensors, prominently the Hull mounted Sonar Humsa NG, heavy-weight Torpedo Tube Launchers and Rocket Launchers.

The Visakhapatnam boasts of significantly more versatile than the previous destroyer and frigates in Naval inventory. It can accommodate a crew of 312 persons, has an endurance of 4,000 nautical miles and can carry out a typical 42 days mission with extended mission time in out of area operation.

The ship is equipped with two helicopters onboard to further extend its reach. The ship is propelled by a powerful Combined Gas and Gas Propulsion Plant (COGAG), consisting of four reversible gas turbines, which enables her to achieve a speed of over 30 30 knots (approx 55 kmph).