Navy firepower to get major boost with new submarine, destroyer induction

"The first stealth guided-missile destroyer ship INS Vishakhapatnam would be commissioned in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on November 21 in Mumbai. Four days later, the fourth submarine of Project-75 Vela is also scheduled to be commissioned on November 25 by the Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh," Navy Vice Chief Vice Admiral Satish N Ghormade said at a press conference.

He said the commissioning of these warships would soon be followed by the launch of the first ship of the Survey Vessel Large project, Sandhayak in early December.

The Navy vice chief said the Visakhapatnam has been constructed using indigenous steel and is amongst the largest destroyers constructed in India with an overall length of 163 meters and displacement of over 7400 tons.

"The ship has a significant indigenous content of approximately 75 per cent contributing towards AtmaNirbhar Bharat," he said.

The ship is a potent platform capable of undertaking multifarious tasks and missions spanning the full spectrum of maritime warfare. Visakhapatnam is equipped with an array of weapons and sensors, which include supersonic surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles, medium and short-range guns, anti-submarine rockets, and advanced electronic warfare and communication suits.

'Sandhyak' is the first of the four Survey Vessels (Large) projects being built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata for the Indian Navy.

"These large Survey ships are envisaged to replace the existing Sandhayak Class survey ships are equipped with new generation hydrographic equipment including AUVs, ROVs, 11m survey boats and advanced indigenous data acquisition systems to collect and analyze for collecting oceanographic and geophysical data in the Indian Ocean Region," Ghormade said.