Parrikar commissions missile destroyer INS Kochi

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar commissioned naval warship INS Kochi, a stealth guided missile destroyer, on Wednesday. He said the Navy has chalked out an indigenisation plan for the next 15 years.

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

The minister added: “We will develop a real blue-water navy, which will dominate the Indian Ocean region. But we still lack in <g data-gr-id="51">fire power</g>.” 

The minister also spoke of a ‘mixed success’ on the missile system technology front. “In the next 5 years there will be indigenisation to a large extent in missile technology,” he said.

The finish of the INS Kochi is as “good as any foreign (naval) ship”, he said, lauding those who built it. INS Kochi is the second ship of the Kolkata-class (Project 15A) guided missile destroyers. The contract for three ships of Kolkata class was signed as a follow-on of the legendary Delhi-class destroyers, which were commissioned into the Navy more than a decade ago.

Designed by the Navy's in-house organisation, Directorate of Naval Design, and constructed by Mazagon Dock Ship Builders Ltd in Mumbai, the ship is christened after the port city of Kochi.

Although conceived as <g data-gr-id="75">follow-on</g> of the earlier Delhi class, this ship is vastly superior and has major advancements in weapons and sensors. It incorporates new design concepts for improved survivability, stealth, sea-keeping and manoeuvrability.

INS Kochi is one of the few warships in the world and the second in the Indian Navy to have multi-function surveillance and threat alert radar to provide target data to long-range surface-to-air missile system.

The <g data-gr-id="53">MF STAR</g> and <g data-gr-id="54">LR SAM</g> systems are jointly developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. To protect against incoming <g data-gr-id="55">air borne</g> and surface threats, at medium and close in range, the ship has 76 mm and 30 mm gun mounts.

The ship can be classified as a ‘network of networks’ as it is equipped with ship data network (SDN), combat management system (CMS), automatic power management system (APMS) and auxiliary control system (ACS).

With a displacement of 7,500 tonnes, the ship 164 metres in length and 17 metres at the <g data-gr-id="67">beam,</g> is propelled by four gas turbines and designed to achieve speeds in excess of 30 knots. The ship has 40 officers and 350 sailors. The accommodation and living spaces have been designed with special emphasis on ergonomics and habitability.

Enhanced stealth features have been achieved through the shaping of hull and use of radar-transparent deck fittings. A bow-mounted sonar dome, the second of its kind in an indigenous naval platform, has been introduced to enhance sonar acoustic performance, according to a Navy spokesperson. 

Referring to technical aspects in <g data-gr-id="70">warship</g> <g data-gr-id="71">manufacture</g>, Parrikar said: “While we have achieved significant indigenisation in ‘float’ component of warships, we are lacking in the indigenisation of the high-end ‘fight’ (weapon) components. To that end, the government is in the process of putting a policy in place to achieve <g data-gr-id="76">high</g> amount of self-reliance in the defence industry under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”  The government shall always remain committed to providing the necessary funds for the future expansion and growth of the Navy, he said.

Parrikar said the government is committed to <g data-gr-id="60">developing</g> a real blue-water navy, a force which can dominate the Indian Ocean region, but will be considered friendly by the neighbouring countries.

He gave two examples to illustrate his point – that of transporting drinking water to the Maldives, when the latter’s water treatment plant had a problem last year, and the rescue and evacuation of residents of over 20 countries from war-torn Yemen by the Indian Navy, without any damage to naval platforms and personnel.

Parrikar said there has been a renewed enthusiasm among Defence PSUs and the private sector in the development and production of platforms and systems for the defence forces and the government has been consistently trying to <g data-gr-id="69">indigenise</g> and speed-up timely deliveries.

He hoped that the next destroyer ship in the series will be operational by the end of the current financial year.