Visakhapatnam-class destroyer

INS Visakhapatnam, first ship in class
Class overview
Name: Visakhapatnam class
Builders: Mazagon Dock Limited
Operators:  Indian Navy
Preceded by: Kolkata class
Cost: ₹29,340 crore (US$4 billion)
In commission: 2018
Building: 2
Planned: 4
General characteristics
Type: Stealth guided missile destroyer
Displacement: 7,400 t (7,300 long tons; 8,200 short tons)[1]
Length: 163 m (535 ft)
Beam: 17.4 m (57 ft)
Draft: 6.5 m (21 ft)
Propulsion:
  • Combined gas and gas system: Twin Zorya M36E gas turbine plants with 4 × DT-59 reversible gas turbines and 2 × RG-54 gearboxes
  • 2 × Bergen/GRSE KVM-diesel engines, 9,900 hp (7,400 kW) each
  • 4 × 1 MWe Wärtsilä WCM-1000 generator sets driving Cummins KTA50G3 engines and Kirloskar 1 MV AC generators
Speed: In excess of 30 knots (56 km/h)
Range: 4,000 nautical miles (7,400 km; 4,600 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)[2]
Crew: 300 (50 officers and 250 sailors)
Sensors and
processing systems:
Electronic warfare
& decoys:		 Elbit Systems Deseaver MK II counter-measures systems and defensive aids suite
Armament:
  • Anti-air missiles:
  • 2 × 16-cell VLS, for a total of 32[3]
  • Barak 8 missiles (Range: 0.5 km (0.31 mi) to 100 km (62 mi)[4][5])
  • Anti-ship/Land-attack missiles:
  • 2 x 8-cells UVLM for 16 BrahMos anti-ship and land-attack cruise missiles[6]
  • Guns:
  • 1 × 127 mm gun Oto Melara SRGM[7]
  • 4 × AK-630 CIWS
  • Anti-submarine warfare:
  • 4 × 533 mm Torpedo tubes
  • 2 × RBU-6000 anti-submarine rocket launchers
Aircraft carried: 2 × Sea King or HAL Dhruv helicopters
Aviation facilities:

The Visakhapatnam class (Project 15B) is a class of stealth guided missile destroyers currently being built for the Indian Navy. Based on the Kolkata-class design, the Visakhapatnam class will be an extensively improved version. Ordered in 2011, the first ship is expected to be completed in 2018.[8][9][10] Project 15B destroyers will feature enhanced stealth characteristics as well as incorporate state of the art weaponry and sensors including the long range Barak 8 surface-to-air missile. The keel of the first P-15B ship was laid in October 2013.[11]

Design and construction

In January 2011, the Cabinet Committee on Security gave approval for a follow-on order of four more destroyers under Project 15B. Project 15B will retain the same hull as 15A Kolkata-class destroyers, but there will be significant changes in the superstructure that will improve the ship's stealth characteristics, it will incorporate a flush deck, include better acoustic signature and infrared signature reduction systems and more sophisticated weaponry such as: Nirbhay land-attack cruise missiles, supersonic anti-ship BrahMos and Barak 8-ER SAMs.[12] They will also be capable of operating two helicopters simultaneously. Russia's Baltic Shipyard has been contracted to provide four sets of line shafts by 2017. Saint Petersburg's Northern Design Bureau was consulted during the design phase.[13][14]

The Indian Navy has reported the ships will have a displacement of 7,300 tons (or 7,400 tonnes),[1] however, other sources have stated 8,000 tonnes.[13][14]

The total cost of the project is expected to be ₹30,000 crore (US$4 billion). Build-time for Project 15B is expected to be shorter than the Kolkata class, as no major re-designing was to be done and would require only the time of ship building. Due to this, each warship is expected to save US$1 billion in costs. The design was finalized and the first destroyer, INS Visakhapatnam was launched on 20 April 2015 and is expected to join the Indian Navy by 2018, with the follow on ships being delivered biennially (every 2 years).[8][9]

The P15-B stealth destroyers have been designed by Indian Navy's in-house unit Directorate of Naval Design. The ship's air defence capability, designed to counter the threat of enemy aircraft and anti-ship cruise missiles, will revolve around the vertical launch and long range supersonic surface-to-surface, air missile system. The system enables the ship to engage shore based and naval surface targets at long range, making it a lethal platform for strike against enemy targets. Four 30 mm rapid-fire guns will provide the ship with close-in-defence capability, while an MR gun will enable her to provide effective naval gunfire support. Indigenously developed twin tube torpedo launchers and rocket launchers will add punch to the ship's, anti-submarine warfare capability.[15][16][17][18][19]

Project 15B vs Project 15A

The key difference between the Project 15A Kolkata-class destroyer and the Project 15B Visakhapatnam-class destroyer are not much since they both share the same hull design. Its however in the internal fitments that separates the 2 destroyer class.[20]

1. The Visakhapatnam class will be armed with a 127 mm main gun while the Kolkata class are armed with 76mm Super Rapid Gun Mount (SRGM). Both classes share the AK-630 close-in anti-missile gun system.[20]
2. The sonar of the Visakhapatnam class will be bow mounted and will feature a revised bridge layout.[20]
3. The design of the mast, which features the main radar has been revised. The Visakhapatnam class will have a full-fledged Total Atmosphere Control System (TAC) to provide its crew greater protection in a nuclear, chemical or biological warfare scenario.[20][21]
4. The new Visakhapatnam class also features a rail-less helicopter traversing system to secure the helicopter they carry in heavy sea conditions.[20]
5. Central to the Visakhapatnam class is a network-centric layout. They are equipped with a Ship Data Network (SDN), an Automatic Power Management System and a Combat Management System. Essentially, all information critical for the operation of the warships during all operations is available to key officers through the SDN which the Navy describes as a data information highway.[20]
6. The Project 15B Visakhapatnam-class destroyers maintain the same hull and propulsion package as the Project 15A Kolkata class. But Russia firm Northern Design Bureau, has been enlisted as design consultant to reduce the size of design's superstructure.[9]

Ships in class

Name Pennant Yard No Builder Laid down Launched Sea trials Commissioning Homeport Status
INS Visakhapatnam D 66 12704 Mazagon Dock Limited 12 October 2013[22][23] 20 April 2015[24] July 2018 (expected)[24]
INS Mormugao D 67 12705 4 June 2015[25] 17 September 2016[26] 2020 (expected)
Paradip[27][28] D 68 12706 2022 (expected)
Porbandar[20] D 69 12707 2024 (expected)[9][13]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "INS Visakhapatnam', First Ship of Project 15B launched". indiannavy.nic.in. Indian Navy (News). Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  2. ↑ Vishakapatnam class
  3. ↑ Diplomat, Franz-Stefan Gady, The. "China Beware: Here Comes India's Most Powerful Destroyer". The Diplomat. Retrieved 2016-05-01.
  4. ↑ Israel ship missile test for India, The Telegraph, 28 November 2015
  5. ↑ Gen Next missile defence shield built by Israel and India clears first hurdle, The Times of India, 28 November 2015
  6. ↑ Diplomat, Franz-Stefan Gady, The. "China Beware: Here Comes India's Most Powerful Destroyer". The Diplomat. Retrieved 2016-05-01.
  7. ↑ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Operational-gaps-handicap-military-on-several-fronts/articleshow/54573607.cms
  8. 1 2 Sheshrao, Vishnudas (15 April 2015). "Indigenously built warship ready for launch". freepressjournal. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Navy's Next Destroyer Line Christened Visakhapatnam-class, 1st Launch Next Week". LiveFist defence. 15 April 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  10. ↑ Diplomat, Franz-Stefan Gady, The. "China Beware: Here Comes India's Most Powerful Destroyer". The Diplomat. Retrieved 2016-05-01.
  11. ↑ "Keel Laid For Yard 12704 (1st ship of P15 Bravo)" (PDF). mazagondock.gov.in. 12 October 2013. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
  12. ↑ Unnithan, Sandeep (18 March 2009). "Govt okays construction of 4 more stealth destroyers". India Today. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  13. 1 2 3 "Russia to help India build 4 guided-missile destroyers". Indrus. 18 April 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
  14. 1 2 "Project 15B". Global Security. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
  15. ↑ Quantum Stealth; The Invisible Military Becomes A Reality
  16. ↑ The World's Sixth Sense, FLIR Systems, Inc. designs
  17. ↑ Developments in Stealth Technology
  18. ↑ Ship's antisubmarine capability
  19. ↑ Directorate of Naval Design (DND (SSG))
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Som, Vishnu (17 April 2015). "All About the INS Visakhapatnam, Navy's Most Powerful Destroyer". NDTV. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  21. ↑ Anand, Deevakar (17 April 2015). "Navy to launch its largest destroyer INS Vishakhapatnam". DNA India. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  22. ↑ "Kolkata commissioned focus shifts to P15 Bravo - SP's MAI". www.spsmai.com. Retrieved 2016-09-16. horizontal tab character in |title= at position 49 (help)
  23. ↑ "Mazagon Dock Keel Laying Ceremony" (PDF).
  24. 1 2 "First Indian Navy Project 15B - Visakhapatnam-class Destroyer Launched". 21 April 2015.
  25. ↑ "Mazagon Dock News" (PDF).
  26. ↑ "Indian Navy set to get second warship of Visakhapatnam class soon". Retrieved 2016-09-14.
  27. ↑ http://www.deccanherald.com/content/472134/bengalurus-loss-vizags-gain-naming.html
  28. ↑ IANS (2016-09-14). "Second P15B destroyer to be launched on Saturday". Business Standard India. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
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