INS Kochi Stealth Guided Missile Destroyer Commissioned: Defence Preparedness Gets a Shot in the Arm

INS Kochi during her trials

India's defence preparedness just got a shot in the arm with the commissioning of Indian Navy's latest stealth guided missile destroyer, the INS Kochi. INS Kochi is the second ship of the Kolkata-class (Project 15A) Guided Missile Destroyers.

Destroyers are second only to aircraft carriers in projecting raw combat power on the high seas. Induction of the 7,500-tonne INS Kochi, the second of the three Kolkata-class destroyers being built at Mazagaon Docks (MDL) at Mumbai for over Rs 4,000 crore apiece, makes it the 10th destroyer in India's combat fleet.

Although conceived as follow-on of the earlier Delhi class, this ship is vastly superior and has major advancements in weapons and sensors. The ship incorporates new design concepts for improved survivability, stealth, sea-keeping and manoeuvrability.

With a displacement of 7,500 tons, the majestic ship spanning 164 metres in length and 17 metres at the beam, is propelled by four gas turbines and designed to achieve speeds in excess of 30 knots.

INS Kochi is packed with an array of state-of-the-art weapons and sensors, with a significant indigenous component. The ship has many lethal weapons to her credit which include the successful fitment of vertically launched missile system for long distance engagement of shore and sea-based targets.

The ship is one of the few warships of 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 MF STAR and LR SAM systems are jointly developed by DRDO ( Defence Research and Development Organisation) and Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. To protect against incoming air borne and surface threats, at medium and close in range, the ship has 76 mm and 30 mm gun mounts.

The ship has a complement of about 40 officers and 350 sailors. The accommodation and living spaces have been designed with special emphasis on ergonomics and habitability.

The warship was commissioned by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai.

The first of this class, INS Kolkata, was commissioned in August last year, while the third INS Chennai will be inducted towards end-2016. There is also the even bigger ongoing Rs 29,644-crore project to build another four stealth destroyers at MDL, with the first INS Visakhapatnam slated for delivery in 2018-2019.

The Navy, on its part, has plans to become a 200-warship force with around 600 aircraft and helicopters by 2027 to ensure it can effectively guard the country's expanding geo-strategic interests in the backdrop of the IOR emerging as "the world's centre of gravity."

The IOR has over 120 warships at any given time, with China fast becoming a force to reckon with in the region.