The commissioning of INS Chennai, the guided missile destroyer, raised the confidence of the Indian Navy and escalated the strength of the naval force of India. It is indigenously built by India and is third in the series of Kolkata class warships. The motto of the ship is “Shatro Sanharaka” which means Vanquisher of Enemies. The warship is commissioned by Defence Minister Mahnohar Parrikar. It is special because it is the largest ever warship made by India and is the last warship in the series of project 15A leading to the end of the project. Now lest have a brief account of it.
Basic Features of INS Chennai
. It will be kept under Western Command of Indian Navy
. It can attain a speed of 30 knots or more than 55kmph.
. It has 4 reversible gas turbine engines for powering the ship
. It has a carrying capacity of about 350 people
Weapons
The warship is equipped with a variety of weapons. Brahmos, Barak – 8 are integrated in the warship to attack precisely. It is also equipped with systems to perform under chemical, biological and nuclear conditions long with special systems to counter submarine attacks. The communication system installed in it is also efficient and that’s why is also called as the networks of networks. Apart from them, some other weapons in it are
. Mareech Torpedo System
. AK630 Guns
. ‘Kavach’ Chaff Decoy System which is integrated to divert the direction of the incoming missiles or torpedoes.
What is Project 15A?
The project is a successor project of Project 15 Delhi class destroyers which were commissioned in 1990s. The project is to manufacture Kolkata class stealth guided missile destroyers form Indian navy. The project will have 3 ships in it. The three of them are INS Kolkata, INS Kochi and the latest is INS Chennai. The first ship was commissioned in 2014, the second one was commissioned in 2015.
Conclusion – The commissioning and induction of all three warships into the Indian navy in 3 consecutive years has raised the power of the Indian navy. The Indian navy is gearing up itself in order to secure the Indian water. Several other warheads and weapons have been inducted in Indian navy in recent years to bolster the power of the naval force. Similar projects have been planned by Indian government for further modernisation of Indian Navy like Project 28 for Kamorta class corvette, project 17 for Shivalik class frigate etc. Such steps in the future will give a bold signal to the competitors of India.
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