INDIA. Mumbai: On Thursday, the Indian Navy received “Mormugao.” It is the second ship of the Project 15B stealth-guided missile destroyers (Y 12705), which is being constructed at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Mumbai.
Indian Navy adds second stealth guided missile destroyer Project 15B
According to an official statement, the four ships of the project are titled after prominent cities from four corners of the country, namely, “Visakhapatnam,” “Mormugao,” “Imphal,” and “Surat.” The four ships were created by the Warship Design Bureau, the Indian Navy’s internal organisation, and were built by MDL.
On January 28, 2011, a contract for Project 15B’s four ships was signed. The main ship of this project, INS Visakhapatnam, was commissioned into the Indian Navy on November 21, 2021. It is a continuation of the Kolkata class (Project 15A) destroyers that were commissioned in the previous ten years.
Mormugao’s keel was laid in June 2015, and on September 17, 2016, the ship was launched. In order for the Kolkata class to profit from mass production, the design has mainly kept the hull form, propulsion engine, many platform equipment, and significant weaponry and sensors.
The ship consists of notable specifications. It is 163 metres long and 17 metres broad, has a displacement of 7400 tonnes when fully piled high, and has a top speed of 30 knots.
Apart from a plethora of indigenous equipment in the ‘Float’ and ‘Move’ categories, the destroyer is also outfitted with the key indigenous armaments listed below.
The project’s total amount of indigenous content is about 75%:
- Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missiles (BEL, Bangalore)
- BrahMos Surface-to-Surface Missiles (BrahMos Aerospace, New Delhi)
- Indigenous Torpedo Tube Launchers (Larsen & Toubro, Mumbai)
- Anti-Submarine Indigenous Rocket Launchers (Larsen & Toubro, Mumbai)
- 76mm Super Rapid Gun Mount (BHEL, Haridwar, Uttarakhand)
According to the statement, “On December 19, 2021, Goa Liberation Day, the ship sailed away for the first sea voyage, and it has since been delivered. As part of the commemoration of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, the delivery of Mormugao is an endorsement of the push being given by the Government of India and the Indian Navy towards an independent India.”
Despite the COVID issues, the early induction of the destroyer, over three months ahead of the contractual date, is a testament to the joint efforts of a vast number of stakeholders and will strengthen the country’s marine power in the Indian Ocean Region.
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