Article Posted on : - Sep 18, 2009

Second warship of Project 15 A of Indian Naval Service after its launch from the Mazagaon Dock in Mumbai on Friday. Image Credit: PTI

NEW DELHI (BNS): Indian Navy on Friday inducted INS Kochi, the second of the three Project 15-A Kolkota class stealth destroyers adding more firepower to its arsenal.

Designed by the Directorate of Naval Design and built at Mazgaon Dock in Mumbai, the 163-meter long and 6500-ton stealth destroyer was launched by the Navy Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma's wife Madhulika Verma.

INS Kochi is the latest stealth destroyer with land attack capability built for the Indian Navy and has advanced stealth features which make the warship less vulnerable to detection by enemy radar, according to a CNN-IBN report.

INS Kochi will be fitted with state-of-the-art weapon systems which include the supersonic BRAHMOS surface-to-surface missile, the LRSAM Long Range Surface-to-Air Missiles and the MFStar multi-function radar system providing accurate data on surface and air targets.

In addition, four AK-630 rapid-fire guns and a medium range gun will boost the ship's close-range defence capability.  The ship will also be fitted with indigenously developed twin-tube torpedo launchers and anti-submarine rocket launchers.

The NPOL developed Humsa-NG hull-mounted sonar, and two multi-role helicopters will add punch to the ship's anti-submarine capability. The maximum speed of the ship is above 30 Knots.

The destroyer will be launched using the pontoon-assisted launch technique, to be employed for the first time in the history of indigenous warship building, media reports said.