Visakhapatnam Class Destroyers

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Discussion on then P-15B class destroyer, later named Visakhapatnam class:

The Project 15B vessel will retain the hull form of Kolkata class destroyers and most of its systems, there will be some significant upgrades. For example, some structural changes in the superstructure will improve stealth and include better sound and infrared suppression. The Project 15B will also differ from the Project 15A through employing a fully flush deck. This will improves stealth because of the smoothness of the overall deck with far fewer angles and corners. The displacement of each Project 15B will be approximately 7,000 tons, a 200-ton addition over the Project 15A Kolkata.

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Project 15B will also be armed with the new Nirbhay land attack cruise missile (1,000 km range), the hypersonic -II anti-ship cruise missile (300 km range) and an Extended Range Surface to Air Missile (ER-SAM) (100 km range).​

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MDL believes that, since Project 15-B is a follow on of the 15-A, the design and planning period will be less than 1½ years. Once the design is finalised, the navy wants the first destroyer to roll out within four years, with the others completed at one-year intervals. By that ambitious timeline, if the order is placed on MDL by end-2009, the first 15-B destroyer would be commissioned in mid-2015.​

2018, 2020, 2022, 2024 were expected to be years of delivery of the respective destroyer of the class.

 

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Hull of lead ship of Visakhapatnam-class Destroyers few days before launch back in 2014:

 

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2nd P15B - Dec, 2015:




in Background:

 

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View: https://x.com/livefist/status/777008768450048000

 

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View: https://x.com/livefist/status/777038203266170880

 

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Towards end of 2017:

1. INS Vishakapatnam




2. INS Mormugao

 

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20 Jul 2018:

Production start 4th destroyer of Visakhapatnam Class at MDL

Mumbai: Commodore Rakesh Anand, Chairman & Managing Director, Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, inaugurated the Commencement of Production activity of Y-12707, fourth destroyer of Visakhapatnam Class on 19 July’ 2018 in the South Yard Production Shop, in the presence of Mr. Sanjiv Sharma, Director (Finance); Cmde T V Thomas, Director (Corporate Planning and Personnel); RAdm A K Saxena, Director (Shipbuilding), Mr. Satish Pendharkar, Chief Vigilance Officer and other senior officials of MDL and Indian Navy.

The Visakhapatnam class destroyers (P15B) are follow-on warships of the Kolkata class. Four destroyers in this class are under construction in MDL. The first of P15B warship ‘Visakhapatnam’ was launched in April 2015 and the second ‘Mormugao’ in September 2016. Both are at advanced stages of outfitting.

The P15B class destroyers will have enhanced stealth characteristics. These ships are being built using indigenously developed steel and fitted with state-of-the-art weapon and sensor systems. They will have advanced Integrated Platform Management System.​

 

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Towards end of 2017:

1. INS Vishakapatnam

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2. INS Mormugao

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Ins surat next to an upcoming nilgiri class frigate

 

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Scale model of the Visakhapatnam class destroyer from Aero India 2019:

 

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View: https://x.com/indiannavy/status/1119506737587900416



View: https://x.com/indiannavy/status/1119507756145229824

 

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Navy’s 4 under-construction destroyers to get lethal weapons, sensors package

NEW DELHI: The Cabinet Committee on Security has cleared a deadly weapons and sensors package for the four guided-missile destroyers under construction at Mazagon Docks in Mumbai, which will take the overall project cost of the four stealth warships to around Rs 35,800 crore.

Sources said the CCS last week cleared the over Rs 6,150 crore acquisition cost of a wide range of advanced weapon systems and sensors for the four 7,300-tonne destroyers being constructed under ‘Project-15B’. The first of the destroyers, INS Visakhapatnam, is likely to be commissioned in 2021-2022 after some delay. It will be followed by her sister warships, INS Mormugao and INS Imphal, while the fourth is yet to be named.

All four will be armed with precision-strike BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles as well as the next-generation Barak surface-to-air missile systems, among other weapons like 127 mm main guns and rocket launchers. While BrahMos has been developed jointly with Russia, the Barak-NG is a collaboration between Israeli Aerospace Industries-Rafael and the Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation.

“While the Rs 29,644-crore fixed cost component for construction of the destroyers was inked in 2011, the variable cost component, which includes the weapons and sensors, has now been cleared by the CCS,” a source said.

The stealth destroyers, which will be propelled by four gas turbines to achieve speeds of over 30 knots, will pack a formidable punch. With their weapons and sensors, like the vertically launched missile systems and MF-STARs (multi-function surveillance and threat alert radars), the warships will be capable of long-distance engagement of shore, sea-based and air targets.

The interception range of the supersonic Barak-NG missile systems, for instance, has been increased from the earlier 70 km to around 100 km to provide an all-weather ‘defence shield’ against incoming enemy fighters, drones, helicopters, missiles and other munitions. The strike range of the 290-km BrahMos is also now being extended, as earlier reported by TOI.

The destroyers, which span 163 metres in length and 17.4 metres at the beam, have been indigenously designed and constructed. The P-15B destroyers, each of which can carry two multi-role helicopters, incorporate cutting-edge design concepts for improved survivability, sea-keeping stealth and manoeuvrability.

Once these warships are commissioned, they will join the ranks of operational destroyers named INS Delhi, INS Mumbai, INS Mysore, INS Kolkata, INS Kochi and INS Chennai. The naval tradition is to name indigenously constructed destroyers, which are second only to aircraft carriers in size and combat power, after a state capital or big city.

The Navy has a force level of 125 warships as well as 15 diesel-electric and two nuclear submarines, along with around 235 aircraft, helicopters and drones, to guard India’s strategic interests from the Persian Gulf to Malacca Strait as well as deter Pakistan and counter China’s expanding footprint in the Indian Ocean Region. The force also has 48 warships under construction in India, including aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, four Scorpene submarines and the four destroyers, while it will also get two frigates from Russia.​

 

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View: https://x.com/livefist/status/1339776427881730049

 

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View: https://x.com/livefist/status/1339776427881730049

 

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The Lead ship of the class, INS Visakhapatnam was delivered to Indian Navy on 28 October 2021 and commissioned on 21 November 2021.

 

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INS Surat sometime before Launch in 2022:

 

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