The Indian Navy on Thursday received its second ship of the Project 15B class guided missile destroyer, Y 12705 (Mormugao), from Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders (MDS) Ltd., which can operate independently of the supporting vessels, given the armaments it loaded with to counter the enemy’s capabilities.

The acceptance document for the acquisition was signed by Vice Admiral Narayan Prasad (Retd), Chairman and Managing Director of MDL, in the presence of Commanding Officer (Designate) Capt Kapit Bhatia and personnel from the Navy and the defence PSU.

Mormugao is among the largest destroyers constructed in India, with an overall length of 164 meters and a displacement of over 7,500 tonnes, and is capable of achieving a speed of 32 knots. The shipyard said that Mormugao 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 long range surface to air missiles, said the MDS in a statement. The ship is equipped with two helicopters onboard to further extend its reach.

For undersea warfare capability, the destroyer is fitted with indigenously developed anti-submarine weapons and sensors, prominently the hull-mounted Sonar Humsa NG, heavy-weight torpedo tube launchers, and ASW rocket launchers, the shipyard pointed out. “Significantly more versatile than the previous classes of destroyers and frigates in the Navy’s inventory, the Mormugao’s all-round capability against enemy submarines, surface warships, anti-ship missiles, and fighter aircraft will enable it to operate independently without supporting vessels and also to function as the flagship of a Naval task force,” the MDS remarked.

The indigenous content (IC) in P15B class destroyers is 72 per cent, which includes domestically produced steel DMR 249A, and is a notch above their predecessors, the P15A (59% IC) and P15 (42% IC) class destroyers, reaffirming the government’s focus on the “Make in India” programme.

Mormugao can accommodate a crew of 312, has an endurance of 4,000 nautical miles, and can carry out a typical 42-day mission with extended mission time in out-of-area operations. The keel of the Mormugao was laid in June of 2015, and the ship was launched on September 17, 2016. The design has largely maintained the hull form, propulsion machinery, many platform items, and major weapons and sensors as the Kolkata class benefits from series production.

Designed by the Warship Design Bureau, the Indian Navy’s in-house organisation, and built by MDS, the four ships of the project are christened after major cities from all four corners of the country: Visakhapatnam, Mormugao, Imphal, and Surat.

comment COMMENT NOW