Indian Navy Commissions Third Project 15B Destroyer ‘INS Imphal’

INS Imphal, the third warship of Project 15B forming the Visakhapatnam class stealth-guided missile destroyers, was commissioned into the Indian Navy today.

Project 15B, initiated in 2011, follows the Kolkata class destroyers and includes four ships – INS Visakhapatnam, INS Mormugao, INS Imphal, and INS Surat.

The Visakhapatnam class, designed by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau and built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, boasts advanced features compared to its predecessors. The 163-meter-long, 7,400-tonne destroyers operate with a crew of approximately 350, featuring a 'combined gas and gas' (COGAG) configuration with four gas turbines, allowing a maximum speed of 30 knots and a range of 4,000 nautical miles.

The Visakhapatnam class of destroyers incorporates features focused on operational efficiency, including superior ergonomics, battle damage control systems, and a Total Atmospheric Control System (TACS) designed for crew protection. These aspects align with the class's integration of a combat management system.

The Visakhapatnam class of ships is the most recent addition to the lineage of indigenous destroyers, succeeding the Delhi and Kolkata classes.

Project 15B, initiated in January 2011, involved the construction of advanced variants of the Kolkata class guided missile destroyers. Between 2014 and 2016, the Indian Navy commissioned three guided missile destroyers of the Kolkata class under Project 15A, which included INS Kolkata, INS Kochi, and INS Chennai. These vessels represented a technological advancement over the preceding Delhi class, comprising INS Delhi, INS Mysore, and INS Mumbai, built under Project 15 and commissioned between 1997 and 2001.

Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDSL) built all these ships.

The lead ship of Project 15B, INS Visakhapatnam, joined the Indian Navy in November 2021, followed by the commissioning of the second ship, INS Mormugao (D67), in December 2022. The fourth ship, set to be named INS Surat upon commissioning, was launched in May of the previous year.

In terms of armament, the Visakhapatnam class is equipped with BrahMos cruise missiles, Barak-8 surface-to-air missiles, a 127 mm main gun, AK-630 30mm guns, torpedo launchers, and RBU-6000 anti-submarine rocket launchers.

The design of the class allows for the accommodation of two multi-role helicopters, contributing an aviation dimension to its operational capabilities.