Though the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has dedicated to the Indian Navy country’s most modern and ferocious warship INS Kolkata on August 16 and later the Defence Minister Arun Jaitley on August 23 performed similar job for the INS Kamorta, the two warships will not dare to venture too far in the high seas during combat environment as they are still not equipped with defensive systems like the anti-missile and anti-aircraft missiles which are planned to be deployed. Like the delayed induction of the two warships in Indian Navy by a few years, the plan to deploy the defensive missile shield has also been delayed and are not likely to be fitted onto the deck of the warships before the end of the year.

But this should not demoralise the Indian strategic planners and observers, as the defensive systems are not too far away from deployment. When actually deployed, the warships will prowl in the high seas like lions in the jungle. These are the proud examples of modern shipbuilding in India with cutting-edge technology and design, which can rival any modern warship in the navies of developed world. After induction and with full complement of self-defensive and offensive missile systems, these two newly inducted warships will tremendously boost India’s strategic capabilities in the high seas. The Kolkata can in fact effectively control an area of several hundred square kilometres and will be part of a carrier fleet of the Indian Navy.

Dedicating the destroyer to the Indian Navy, the Prime Minister said, “In the coming days INS Kolkata will inspire confidence to those involved in the maritime trade. Fighting a war and winning it has now become less difficult these days. But a modern military armed with state-of-the-art weaponry alone is a guarantee against war. When we are capable no one can dare challenge us.”

The INS Kolkata is the lead ship of the Kolkata class guided missile destroyers. The contract for three ships of the Kolkata class was signed as a follow-on of the legendary Delhi class destroyers commissioned in the Indian Navy in the last decade. INS Kolkata has been designed by the Indian Navy’s in-house organisation — the Directorate of Naval Design and constructed by the Mazagon Dock Limited, Mumbai. The three ships under the class have been christened after three Indian metro cities— Kolkata, Chennai and Kochi— contract for which was signed in June 2008 at a cost of about Rs. 11,682 crore.

According to the officials of the Naval Headquarters, the Kolkata class ships have been designed as a follow-on of the earlier Delhi class warship, but this is vastly superior and has made advancements in weapons and sensors. The Kolkata class destroyers incorporate new design concepts for improved survivability, sea keeping, stealth and ship manoeuvrability.

According to an official document, the warship has a displacement capacity of 6,800 tonnes with a length of 163 metres and 17.4 metres at the beam, is propelled by four gas turbines and designed to achieve speed in excess of 30 knots and has an endurance of 3,300 nautical miles. A bow-mounted sonar dome, the first of its kind in an indigenous naval warship, has been deployed to enhance sonar acoustic performance.

The INS Kolkata is packed with an array of latest weapons and sensors with significant indigenous contribution. The ship will have vertically launched missile system for long distance engagement (the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile) offshore and sea-based targets. The ship is one of few warships of the world and the first in the Indian Navy to have a multifunctional conformal array surveillance radar (MFR) to provide target data to link long-range surface-to-air missile systems (LRSAM). The MFR and LRSAM is a joint development project of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). This missile is yet to be deployed because of the delay in completing trials which are scheduled in late September this year and are likely to be cleared for deployment by the end of the year. These missiles will protect against incoming airborne and surface threats at medium and close in range. The ship also has 76mm and 30mm gun mounts.

The naval officials describe the ship as network of networks as it is equipped with auxiliary control system (ACS) ship data network (SDN), automatic power management system (APMS) and combat management system (CMS). While the remote control and monitoring of machinery is achieved through the AMCS, propulsion and power management is done using the APMS. The CMS performs threat evaluation and resource allocation based on the tactical picture compiled and ammunition available onboard. The SDN is the information highway on which data from all the sensors and weapons ride. The Kolkata class will have two Seaking 42B or Chetak helicopters.

While commissioning the warship INS Kamorta the Defence Minister Arun Jaitley described the development as “coming of age of our shipbuilding industry.” Jaitley informed that at the moment, 42 warships are under construction in various shipyards of the country, which is a welcome sign of the health of the shipbuilding industry.

The anti-submarine warfare (ASW) class stealth corvettes have been built under Project 28 (P-28). It is the first indigenous anti-submarine stealth corvette built in India. The name Kamorta has been derived from an island which is part of the Nicobar Islands chain on north-east Indian Ocean. Designed by the Indian Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design and built by the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd, Kolkata, the contract for four ships under this class was signed in June 2012 at a cost of about Rs. 7,800 crore.

Equipped with anti-air and anti-surface weapons, Kamorta has been constructed using high grade steel (DMR249A) produced in India. The short-range surface-to-air missiles will provide total self-protection. The ship is also equipped with active towed array decoy system (ATDS). With a displacement of 3,300 tonnes the ship is 109.1 metres long and 13.7 metres at the beam. The ship is propelled by four diesel engines to achieve speeds in excess of 25 knots and has an endurance of 3,450 nm. The P-28 Corvettes boasts of many “firsts” such as revolutionary rail less helo traversing system, foldable hangar door, use of personnel locator system and use of carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) superstructure integrated with the steel hull in the third and fourth ships of the class.

Enhanced stealth features have been achieved by X form of hull, full beam superstructure, inclined ship sides and use of infrared signature suppression (IRSS) system for cooling the engine and generator exhausts.

Kamorta’s weapons and sensors suite is predominantly indigenous, showcasing the nations growing capability in developing and deploying high performance, sophisticated weapon systems and equipment. The ship’s advanced stealth features make her less susceptible to detection. With a complement of 15 officers and 180 sailors INS Kamorta is well equipped to fight in nuclear, biological and chemical warfare conditions.