Missile destroyer INS Kochi joins fleet

Shiv Kumar

Advertisement

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, September 30

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar commissioned naval warship INS Kochi, a stealth guided missile destroyer, here today.

After commissioning the warship, Parrikar said the Indian government was well on its way to build a strong naval force that would dominate the region.

“India is fully committed to building a real blue water Navy which will dominate the Indian Ocean region, but will be friendly to neighbouring countries,” Parrikar said.

“The Navy has chalked out an indigenisation plan for the next 15 years. There is renewed enthusiasm in the defence production units, PSUs and the private sector,” he told mediapersons on board the warship at Naval Dockyard here.

He said the Indian Navy had proved its mettle in the past year when it carried out a humanitarian operation to transport drinking water to Maldives after the country’s only water treatment plant suffered a major damage.

“While we have achieved significant indigenisation in the ‘Float’ component of warships, we are lacking in the indigenisation of the high-end ‘fight’ components,” Parrikar noted. He added that the Central government was working towards making the defence industry more self-reliant.

Naval Chief Admiral RK Dhowan said commissioning of INS Kochi was a milestone in the self-reliance programme of the Navy.

“Induction of INS Kochi, with her multi-dimensional combat capability, adds more teeth to the sword arm of the Indian Navy in discharging her duties of safeguarding national maritime interests,” he said.

INS Kochi is the second of the three Kolkata-class (Project 15-A) guided missile destroyers. It has been designed by the Directorate of Naval Design and built at the Mazagon Docks in Mumbai.

According to information from the Indian Navy, the Kolkata-class destroyers have advanced stealth features that allow it to pass undetected by enemy radar.

INS Kochi is equipped with advanced missile systems such as Brahmos Supersonic Cruise missile and long range surface-to-air missiles. It will also have a multi-function radar system.

Other weapons on its arsenal include four AK-630 rapid-fire guns and a medium-range gun for close-range defence capability, indigenously developed twin-tube torpedo launchers and anti-submarine rocket launchers.

While INS Kolkata was commissioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year, the third in the series, INS Chennai, is under production. The INS Kolkata class stealth destroyers were first approved in 2000.