Imphal missile destroyer to be commissioned to Indian Navy on Dec 26

Mumbai: Imphal, the third in the series of the Visakhapatnam-class guided missile destroyers, will be commissioned to the Indian Navy in Mumbai on December 26.

The Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), on October 20, handed over Imphal (Yard 12706), the third in the series of 15B Class stealth-guided missile destroyers, to the Indian Navy.

The first ship of P15B class INS Visakhapatnam was commissioned on November 21, 2021, while the second ship—INS Mormugao—was commissioned on December 18, 2022.

The third ship—Imphal—will be commissioned on December 26 while the fourth one, Surat, is at an advanced stage of outfitting.

The ship has been built using indigenous steel DMR 249A and is amongst the largest missile destroyers manufactured in India, with an overall length of 164 meters and a displacement of over 7500 tons. The ship is a potent platform capable of undertaking a variety of tasks and missions, spanning the full spectrum of maritime warfare.

It is armed with supersonic Surface-to-Surface ‘Brahmos’ missiles and ‘Barak-8’ Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missiles. The Destroyer also has undersea warfare capability, and is fitted with indigenously developed anti-submarine weapons and sensors, prominently the hull-mounted Sonar Humsa NG, heavyweight torpedo tube launchers, and ASW Rocket Launchers.

The ship can accommodate a crew of 312 persons, has an endurance of 4000 nautical miles, and can carry out a typical 42-days mission with extended mission time in out-of-area operations. 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 that enable it to achieve a speed of over 30 knots (approx 55 kmph).

The ship boasts of a very high level of automation with sophisticated digital networks such as Gigabyte Ethernet-based Ship Data Network (GESDN), Combat Management System (CMS), Automatic Power Management System (APMS), and Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS).