INS Kochi

Commissioning ceremony of INS Kochi at Mazagon Dock Limited.
History
India
Name:	Kochi
Namesake:	Kochi
Operator:	Indian Navy
Builder:	Mazagon Dock Limited
Laid down:	25 October 2005
Launched:	18 September 2009
Commissioned:	30 September 2015
In service:	in active service
Motto:	Jahi Shatrun Mahabaho(Sanskrit) "Oh mighty armed one… conquer the enemy"[1]
General characteristics
Class and type:	Kolkata-class destroyer
Displacement:	7,500 tonnes (8,300 short tons)[2][3]
Length:	163 m (535 ft)
Beam:	17.4 m (57 ft)
Speed:	In excess of 30 kn (56 km/h; 35 mph)
Sensors and processing systems:	Thales LW-08 D-band air search radar[4] IAI EL/M-2248 MF-STAR S-band AESA multi-function radar IAI EL/M-2238 L-band STAR surveillance radar BEL HUMSA-NG bow sonar BEL Nagin active towed array sonar[5] BEL Electronic Modular Command & Control Applications (EMCCA Mk4) combat management system
Electronic warfare & decoys:	Elbit Systems Deseaver MK II countermeasures systems and defensive aids suite
Armament:	Anti-air missiles: 4 × 8-cell VLS, for a total of 32;[6] Barak 8 missiles (Range: 0.5 km (0.31 mi) to 90 km (56 mi)[7]) Anti-ship missiles: 2× 8-cell UVLM for 16 BrahMos anti ship missiles Guns: 1 × 76 mm gun 4 × AK-630 CIWS Anti-submarine warfare: 4× Torpedo tubes 2 × RBU-6000 anti-submarine rockets
Aircraft carried:	2x helicopters: Sea King HAL Dhruv

INS Kochi (D64) is the second ship of the Kolkata-class stealth guided-missile destroyers built for the Indian Navy. She was constructed at Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) located in Mumbai. After undergoing extensive sea trials, she was commissioned to Indian Navy service on 30 September 2015. INS Kochi has been built under the code name of Project 15 Alpha.^[8][9]

Construction

The keel of Kochi was laid on 25 October 2005. In keeping with the tradition of the Navy, the warship was launched by Madhulika Verma, wife of Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Nirmal Kumar Verma, at 11.20 a.m. 18 September 2009 from the Mazagon Dock in Mumbai.^[10] For the first time, Mazagon Docks used a "pontoon assisted" launching method in collaboration with a Russian firm Baltisky Zavod. Under this method, pontoons are welded to the hull, which give buoyancy and helps overcome tidal constraints. Mazagon plans to use this method for all future ship launches, as the process makes it possible to launch ships with much higher weight.

Weapon trials

Gun firing trials of INS Kochi

On 1 November 2015 the Navy successfully test-fired the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from Kochi. The missile hit its target, a decommissioned ship called INS Alleppey, with almost pinpoint accuracy during this first-ever vertical launch from the 7,500-tonne INS Kochi.^[11]

Design

INS Kochi during sea trials

INS Kochi is the largest India-made warship, till the time of its commissioning.^[12] The warship is designed by the Navy's in-house organisation, directorate of naval design, and it is constructed by Mazagon Dock Ship builders Ltd in Mumbai. It has displacement of 7,500 tons and it is 164 metres (538 ft) in length and 17 metres (56 ft) at the beam and is propelled by four gas turbines and designed to achieve speeds in excess of 30 knots (56 km/h). The ship has built with advanced stealth features which have been achieved through shaping of hull and use of radar-transparent deck fittings. A bow mounted sonar dome, the second of its kind in an indigenous naval platform, has been introduced to enhance sonar acoustic performance.The ship has a complement of about 40 officers and 350 sailors.

See also

• INS Kolkata - Sister ship and first of the class.
• INS Chennai - Sister ship and third of the class.

References

1. "INS Kochi | Indian Navy". www.indiannavy.nic.in. Retrieved 2016-04-24.
2. "Navy gets its largest destroyer". The Hindu. 13 July 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
3. "Largest destroyer project of Navy hit by delay". Defence Express. 6 Jun 2013. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
4. "Bharat Electronics Ltd. awards LW08 contract to Thales". Thalesgroup.com. 2 July 2008. Retrieved 2010-04-02.
5. "Indian Navy to get four new destroyers". dnaindia.com. 17 March 2009. Retrieved 2010-04-02.
6. Som, Vishnu (16 August 2014). "On INS Kolkata, PM is Only Partially Correct". NDTV. Retrieved 8 March 2015. At the moment, she is designed to carry only 32 Barak surface-to-air missiles...
7. "India commissions second Kolkata-class destroyer". Janes. IHSJanes. 29 September 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
8. "INS Kochi stealth guided missile destroyer commissioned". The Economic Times. 30 September 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
9. "INS Kochi | Indian Navy". www.indiannavy.nic.in. Retrieved 2016-04-24.
10. "India launches warship 'INS Kochi'". PTI. Times of India. 18 September 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
11. "BrahMos missile tested successfully from latest stealth destroyer INS Kochi". PTI. The Times of India. 1 November 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
12. "INS Kochi: 10 things to know". The Times of India. 30 September 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2015.

External links

• Kolkata class Kolkata class destroyer @ Bharat-Rakshak.com
• Type 15A Kolkatta Class destroyer @ Indian-Military.org