India’s INS Kolkata To Fire Long Range Missile In 2015

India’s guided missile destroyer INS Kolkata will fire a long-range surface-to-air missile (LR-SAM) in 2015, The Hindu reported Saturday.

“The vertical launch units of the LR-SAM, also called Barak 8, have been built into the vessel and the MF-STAR (multifunction surveillance and threat alert radar) is in place for missile guidance. The firing is slated to take place next year,” Captain Tarun Sobti, Commanding Officer of INS Kolkata, was quoted as saying by the daily.

An operational firing of the vertical BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, against surface targets, would be carried out early next year, Capt. Sobti said. The vessel fired BrahMos during the sea-acceptance trials off Karwar in June.

“The vessel had an indigenous content of about 70 per cent. The work-up laid emphasis on, and perfected the standard operating procedures, safety routines and tactical skills. It’s a special training where procedures are perfected, the crew put together and safety drills performed to a fault,” he said.

The ship commissioned in August has a Combined Gas and Gas (COGAG) propulsion system, consisting of four powerful reversible gas turbines and can attain speeds in excess of 30 knots. The ship’s electric power is provided by four gas turbine generators and one diesel alternator, which together produce 4.5 Mega-Watts of electrical power, enough to light up a small town.

It is equipped with advanced supersonic and long range BrahMos Surface to Surface Missiles – a joint Indo-Russian venture. The 76 mm Super Rapid Gun Mount (SRGM) and AK 630 CIWS, both manufactured indigenously, can take on air and surface targets. The ship is equipped to operate two Chetak helicopters.

The first flight of the LR-SAM, jointly developed by the Israeli Aerospace Industry and the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), took place in Israel in November.