- Recently, the Defence Minister launched the Indian Navy destroyer warship INS Surat and frigate INS Udaygiri in Mumbai.
- ‘Surat’ is the fourth ship of Project 15B Destroyers which heralds a significant makeover of the P15A (Kolkata Class) Destroyers.
- The first ship (Visakhapatnam) of this class was commissioned in 2021. The second (Mormugao) and third (Imphal) ships have been launched and are at different stages of outfitting/ trials.
- It is named after the commercial capital of the state of Gujarat and also the second largest commercial hub of western India after Mumbai.
- Surat city has a rich maritime & ship building history and vessels built at the city in the 16th and 18th centuries were known for their longevity (of more than 100 years).
- The ship Surat has been built using the Block construction methodology.
- This methodology includes hull construction at two different geographical locations and has been joined together at MDL, Mumbai.
Project 15B
- These ships are amongst the most technologically advanced Guided Missile Destroyers of the world, with state-of-the-art weapon/sensor package, advanced stealth features and a high degree of automation.
- In 2011, the deal to build four warships — Visakhapatnam, Mormugao, Imphal, and Surat — was signed under the Project-15B programme worth Rs 29,643.74 crore.
- However, the final cost escalated to Rs 35,000 crore.
- All four ships have been christened after cities from four corners of the country and the induction of ships will be completed by 2024.
- These ships are equipped with BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and long-range Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAM).
- The ship has several indigenous weapons systems like medium range Surface-to-Air Missile (SAMs), indigenous torpedo tube launchers, anti-submarine indigenous rocket launchers and 76-mm super rapid gun mount.
INS Udaygiri
- It is the third ship of Project 17A frigates.
- The ship ‘Udaygiri’ is named after a mountain range in the state of Andhra Pradesh.
- ‘Udaygiri’ is the reincarnation of erstwhile ‘Udaygiri’, the Leander Class ASW Frigate, which saw numerous challenging operations in its illustrious service to the country spanning over three decades from 1976 to 2007.
- Under the P17A program, a total of seven ships, with 04 at Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL), Mumbai and 03 at GRSE are under construction.
- Various novel concepts and technologies like Integrated Construction, Mega Block Outsourcing, Project Data Management/ Project Lifecycle Management (PDM/PLM) etc have been adopted for the first time in indigenous Warship Design and Construction in this project.
SOURCE: THE HINDU,THE ECONOMIC TIMES,MINT