TSAMTO, November 23. On November 21, the Ministry of Defense of India announced the ceremony of the adoption of the Indian Navy's lead destroyer URO (D66) Visakhapatnam, built under the Project-15B program, at the Mumbai Naval Base.
The event was attended by Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh.
As reported by TSAMTO, the Security Committee of the Government of India approved the construction of four inconspicuous destroyers under the "Project-15B" program in December 2010. The contract for the supply of four ships to the Indian Navy was signed on January 28, 2011. The cost of construction was 293.4 billion ind. rupees ($4.89 billion). The destroyer project was developed by the Directorate of Naval Design of the Indian Navy (DND) with an emphasis on stealth, and construction was carried out by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited in Mumbai.
The launch ceremony of the lead ship of the series, named "Visakhapatnam", took place on April 20, 2015. The destroyer was transferred to the Indian Navy on October 28, 2021.
In September 2016, the launching ceremony of the second destroyer, Mormugao, took place. The third ship of the series, Imphal, was launched on April 20, 2019. The laying of the keel of the fourth ship took place in July 2018. It is planned that the second destroyer of the series will be put into service next year, and "Imfal" - in 2023. The project is planned to be fully completed by 2024.
"Visakhapatnam" is a development of the destroyer "Project-15A", the first of which, "Calcutta", was adopted in August 2014. The key differences between the new ship and the Project-15A destroyers are the transfer of the GAS to the bow; the design of the mast on which the main radar is located has been modified in order to reduce radar visibility. Other changes include an improved hull for low visibility and a trackless system for towing the helicopter to the hangar.
According to Indian sources, about 75% of the components and systems of destroyers are purchased on the territory of the country, including the Barak-8 missile defense system, Brahmos anti-ship cruise missiles, torpedo tubes and anti-submarine missile launchers from Larsen & Toubro, as well as 76-mm artillery installations.
The length of the destroyer "Project-15B" is 163.9 m, the maximum width is 17.4 m, the total displacement is 7,400 tons. The COGAG-type power plant with four DT-59 gas turbine engines will allow the Project-15B destroyer to reach a speed of more than 30 knots. The cruising range is 4,500 nautical miles at a speed of 18 knots. The crew of the ship will be 360 people, including 40 officers. The destroyer is adapted to be based on board two multi-purpose helicopters.
The ship is equipped with a multifunctional radar EL/M-2248 (MF-STAR) S-band of the Israeli company IAI-Elta, GAS Scanter 6002 I-band of the company Terma and the airspace control radar LW-08 D-band of the company Thales. The ship will be able to use the Brahmos anti-ship cruise missiles of Russian-Indian design and the Barak-8-ER missile defense system. To combat submarines, the destroyer is equipped with two RBU-6000 Smerch-2 rocket launchers. The destroyer is also armed with four Russian 30-mm AK-630 tanks.