NEW DELHI: The Indian Navy is all set to commission its latest Stealth Guided Missile Destroyer Imphal at Naval Dockyard in Mumbai on Tuesday. Defence minister Rajnath Singh will be the chief guest at the event that marks the formal induction of the third of four ‘Visakhapatnam’ class destroyers into the Navy. Imphal is indigenously designed by the Indian Navy’s in-house organisation, Warship Design Bureau and constructed by Mazagon Dock Limited, Mumbai.
It is the first warship to have been named after a city from the North East, the approval for which was accorded by the President on 16 April 2019, thus underlining the importance of the region for national security, sovereignty and prosperity, the defence ministry said. Upon commissioning, INS Imphal will join the Western Naval Command.
Measuring 163 metres in length, displacing 7,400 tonnes and with 75 per cent indigenous content, Imphal is regarded as one of the most potent warships to have been constructed in India. It is capable of achieving speeds in excess of 30 knots and is packed with sophisticated ‘state of the art’ weapons and sensors such as Surface to Surface Missile 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. The ship’s 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.
Imphal was delivered to the Indian 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. Following this milestone achievement, the ship’s crest was unveiled by the defence minister at New Delhi on November 28.
