Indian Navy’s Newly Launched Stealth Destroyer INS Visakhapatnam 65 Percent Indigenous

Indian Navy's new enhanced nuclear, biological and chemical capability destroyer, Visakhapatnam has been launched in Mumbai on Monday.

The ship (Project 15 B) is 65 per cent indigenous and has a number of weapon systems which have been made at home.

INS Visakhapatnam is the first of the four follow-up order of the Kolkata class warships cost a little over USD 4.7 billion (INR 29,600 Crore)

"Kolkata Class did not have a full-fledged Total Atmosphere Control System (TAC).The TAC system provides you with the capability of operating in a fall-out region, be it a nuclear, chemical or biological almost endlessly...because the complete air being taken inside is through nuclear, biological and chemical filters except in the machinery compartment," Rear Admiral AK Saxena, Director General (Naval Design) said.

At 7,300 tonnes, Visakhapatnam will be the largest destroyer commissioned by the Indian Navy and will be equipped with the Israeli Multi Function Surveillance Threat Alert Radar (MF-STAR). This will provide targeting information to 32 Barak 8 long-range surface to air missiles onboard the warship, that is being co-developed by India with Israel.

The Barak 8 missile is being integrated in to the Navy's new destroyer, INS Kolkata and will be test-fired by October, Navy officials said.

The ship will also be carrying 8 BrahMos missiles. Project 15 and Project 15-B will share the same hull-design and Ukrainian-built Zorya gas turbines. Navy officials said the Visakhapatnam is likely to be inducted in the Indian Navy by 2018.