INS MORMUGAO: A HUGE FORCE MULTIPLIER

The much awaited second of the Project 15B stealth-guided missile destroyers built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited- INS Mormugao, was commissioned into the Indian Navy by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on December 18. Interestingly, the ship was commissioned a day before the Goa liberation celebrations.

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Over the last ten years, the Indian Navy has commissioned three guided missile destroyers of the Kolkata-class named as INS Kolkata, INS Kochi, and INS Chennai, under the project codenamed 15A. These ships were a step ahead of their precursor Delhi-class of warships INS Delhi, INS Mysore, and INS Mumbai.

The history of the Visakhapatnam-class destroyers dates back to January 2011, when the contract for four guided missile destroyers more advanced than the Kolkata-class was signed. This was christened as Project-15B, and the lead ship-INS Visakhapatnam (Pennant D66) was commissioned into the Indian Navy in November 2021.

THE MIGHTY VISAKHAPATNAM-CLASS

ANTI-SURFACE

For its anti-surface warfare (ASUW) capabilities, the class features sixteen Brahmos antiship cruise missiles, capable of speeds of up to Mach 3. The BrahMos is widely regarded as one of the most formidable antiship missiles currently in service, given the missile's extreme versatility and manoeuvrability.

ANTI-AIRCRAFT