Naval warship INS Kochi, a stealth guided missile destroyer, was commissioned on Wednesday by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, who said the Navy has chalked out an indigenisation plan for the next 15 years.

Lack in fire power “The Navy has chalked out an indigenisation plan for the next 15 years. There is renewed enthusiasm in the defence production units, PSUs and private sector,” he told reporters on board the warship at Naval Dockyard here.

“We will develop a real blue-water Navy which will dominate the Indian Ocean region,” Parrikar said, adding, “We still lack in fire power.”

‘Mixed success’ The Minister also spoke of a ‘mixed success’ on the missile system technology front. “In the next 5 years, there will be indigenisation to a large extent in missile technology,” he said. The finish of INS Kochi is as “good as any foreign (naval) ship”, he said, lauding those who built it.

INS Kochi is the second ship of the Kolkata-class (Project 15A) guided missile destroyers. The contract for three ships of Kolkata class was signed as a follow-on of the legendary Delhi-class destroyers, which were commissioned into the Navy more than a decade ago.

Designed by the Navy’s in-house organisation, Directorate of Naval Design, and constructed by Mazagon Dock Ship Builders Ltd in Mumbai, the ship is christened after the vibrant port city of Kochi.