First stealth corvette built at Vizag to set sail

Visakhapatnam: The first indigenously built stealth Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Corvette “INS Kamorta’ built by M/s Garden Reach Shipyard (GRSE), Kolkata, is scheduled to be commissioned by Defence minister Arun Jaitely at Naval Dockyard here on Saturday.

Kamorta is the first of four ASW stealth corvettes designed by Indian Navy’s in-house organisation, Directorate of Naval Design (DND) and built by the GRSE under Project 28. The ship’s production commenced on March 1, 2006 and the new ‘Kamorta’ was launched on April 19, 2010.

Its maiden sea trials commenced in June 2013 and it was handed over to the Indian Navy by the Shipbuilders on July 12, 2014. Kamorta has been constructed using high-grade steel (DMR 249A) produced in India.

With a displacement of about 3,500 tonnes, the sleek and magnificent ship spans about 110 meters in length and 14 meters at the beam. The ship’s propulsion system consists of two diesel engines to achieve a maximum speed of 25 knots and an endurance of about 3,500 nautical miles. Enhanced stealth features and use of Infra Red Signature Suppression (IRSS) make it less susceptible to detection.

About 90pc of the ship is indigenous, with its weapons and sensors suite showcasing the nation’s growing capability in designing and developing sophisticated weapon systems, which include heavy weight torpedoes, ASW rockets, Medium Range gun and Close-in-Weapon System comprising two multi-barrel guns.

Its sensors include the most advanced bow mounted sonar and indigenous air surveillance radar Revathi with capability to detect targets exceeding 200 km.