Vishakhapatnam: The Indian Navy received its first P15B stealth guided-missile destroyer built at Mazgaon Docks Limited (MDL) on October 28, said a statement issued by the Ministry of Defence on Sunday.
"Y 12704 (Visakhapatnam), the lead ship of Project 15B stealth guided-missile destroyers being built at Mazgaon Docks Limited (MDL), was delivered to the Indian Navy on 28 Oct 21. The contract for four ships of Project 15B, as the Visakhapatnam class ships are known, was signed on 28 January 2011. This project is a follow-on of the Kolkata class (Project 15A) destroyers commissioned in the last decade," said the statement.
Designed by Directorate of Naval Design, Indian Navy’s in-house design organisation, and built by M/s Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd, Mumbai; the four ships are christened after major cities from all four corners of the country viz. Visakhapatnam, Mormugao, Imphal and Surat.
The keel of Visakhapatnam was laid in October 2013 and the ship was launched in April 2015. The design has largely maintained the hull form, propulsion machinery, many platform equipment and major weapons & sensors as the Kolkata class to benefit from series production.
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The 163 metres long warship has a full load displacement of 7400 tonnes and maximum speed of 30 knots. The overall indigenous content of the project is approx. 75 per cent.
Apart from myriad indigenous equipment in the ‘Float’ and ‘Move’ categories, the destroyer is also installed with major indigenous weapons which include: 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).
The Indian Navy said that the induction of the destroyer will not only enhance combat readiness but will also be a major step towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat. "Yet another testament of impetus given by Govt of India & the Navy towards #indigenous warship constn programmes. #Visakhapatnam - #first of the indigenous P15B stealth Guided Missile destroyers being built at #MazagonDock, #Mumbai delivered to #IndianNavy on 28 October 2021," Spokesperson of the Indian Navy said in a tweet.
"Induction of the destroyer will not only enhance #combat readiness of #IndianNavy but will also be a major leap forward towards our quest for #AatmanirbharBharat," said another tweet.
