New Delhi, Dec 24: The Indian Navy is all set to get its latest stealth guided-missile destroyer Imphal, which will be commissioned into service on December 26 in presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The Defence Ministry said that Imphal, the first warship to have been named after a city from the northeast, was delivered to the navy on October 20 after completing a rigorous and comprehensive trial programme both in the harbour and at sea.
Subsequently, the ship successfully test-fired the extended-range supersonic BrahMos missile in November, a first for any indigenous warship before commissioning, thus demonstrating the Navy’s thrust on combat effectiveness and confidence in its cutting-edge indigenous weapons and platforms, a ministry official said.
Measuring 163 metres in length, displacing 7,400 tons and with 75 per cent indigenous content, Imphal can be regarded as one of the most potent warships to have been constructed in India. A formidable moving fortress at sea, it is capable of achieving speeds in excess of 30 knots and is packed with sophisticated state of the art weapons and sensors, including surface to surface and surface to air missiles.
The ship is fitted with a modern surveillance radar which provides target data to the gunnery weapon systems of the ship. Its anti-submarine warfare capabilities are provided by the indigenously-developed rocket launchers, torpedo launchers, and ASW helicopters. The ship is equipped to fight under Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) warfare conditions and has a high degree of automation and stealth features further enhancing her combat capability and survivability. Some of the major indigenised system onboard ‘Imphal’ include indigenous medium-range surface to air and surface to surface missiles, torpedo tubes, anti-submarine rocket launchers, super rapid gun mount, besides combat management system, integrated platform management system, automated power management system, foldable hangar doors, etc.The BEL, L&T, Godrej, Marine Electrical, BrahMos, Technico, Kineco, Jeet & Jeet, Sushma Marine, etc have contributed to making of the mighty ship, says the official. (IANS)