INS Imphal: Navy’s indigenous destroyer to be commissioned today. 10 facts

In a boost to maritime capability amid China’s increasing forays into the Indian Ocean region, the Indian Navy is set to commission its latest indigenously built stealth-guided missile destroyer, INS Imphal, at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai on Tuesday. Defence minister Rajnath Singh will be present at the ceremony.

The commissioning ceremony will mark the formal induction into the Navy of the third of four ‘Visakhapatnam’ class destroyers, indigenously designed and built by the Indian Navy’s in-house organisation, Warship Design Bureau.

All you need to know about INS Imphal:

INS Imphal is the first warship to have been named after a city from the Northeastern region, the approval for which was accorded by the President in April 2019. The naming of the ship after the capital city of Manipur underlines the importance of the Northeastern region for national security and prosperity.

Built by Mazgaon Dock Limited, the ship boasts a high indigenous content of approximately 75 per cent that includes BrahMos surface-to-surface missiles, medium-range surface-to-air missiles, anti-submarine indigenous rocket launchers, and 76mm super rapid gun mount.

The ship is a part of Project 15B (Visakhapatnam class) and follows the lineage of indigenous destroyers like Project 15A (Kolkata class) and Project 15 (Delhi class).

With a length of 163 meters and 7,400 tons displacement, Imphal is a formidable naval presence.

The ship is a potent and versatile platform equipped with state-of-the-art weapons and sensors, including surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship missiles, and torpedoes. It is fitted with a modern surveillance radar which provides target data to the gunnery weapon systems of the ship.

Imphal is equipped to fight under Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical (NBC) warfare conditions and has a high degree of automation and stealth features further enhancing its combat capability and survivability.

Powered by Combined Gas and Gas (COGAG) propulsion, the ship is capable of achieving speeds above 30 knots (56 km/hour).

According to the Indian Navy, INS Imphal can rightfully be regarded as one of the most potent warships to have been constructed in India and is a testament to India’s growing shipbuilding prowess in pursuit of the national vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.

The ship was delivered to the Indian Navy on October 20 after completion of 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 last month, a first for any indigenous warship before commissioning.

After being commissioned, the ship will join the Western Naval Command, the Navy officials said.