INS Kavaratti (P31) is an anti-submarine warfare corvette of the Indian Navy built under Project 28. It is the last of four Kamorta-class corvettes. The ship was built by the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, Kolkata, and launched on 19 May 2015. Kavaratti represents a leap forward in the Navy's attempts at indigenisation with as much as 90% of its content drawn from India itself.[7] It was commissioned into the Navy on 22 October 2020 in Visakhapatnam.[8][9][10][11]
 INS Kavaratti during trials.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name | INS Kavaratti |
| Namesake | Kavaratti |
| Builder | Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers |
| Laid down | 20 January 2012 |
| Launched | 19 May 2015 |
| Acquired | 18 February 2020[1] |
| Commissioned | 22 October 2020[2] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Kamorta-class corvette |
| Displacement | 3,300 tons |
| Length | 109 m (358 ft) |
| Beam | 12.8 m (42 ft) |
| Propulsion | |
| Speed | 25 knots (46 km/h) |
| Range | 3,450 mi (5,550 km) at 18 knots (33 km/h) |
| Complement | 123 (incl 17 officers)[4] |
| Sensors and processing systems |
|
| Electronic warfare & decoys | |
| Armament | |
| Aircraft carried | 1 Westland Sea King Mk.42B or HAL Dhruv |
| Aviation facilities | Rail-less helo traversing system and foldable hangar door[3] |
History edit
The keel of Kavaratti was laid on 20 January 2012 and it was launched in Kolkata on 19 May 2015. The ship cost an estimated ₹1,700 crores.[12] The ship takes its name from the Kavaratti, capital of the Union Territory of Lakshadweep in India.[13] It is the successor ship to the INS Kavaratti, which was an Arnala-class corvette which participated in Operation Trident, and was later decommissioned in 1986.
Design edit
Kavaratti is India's one of the first ship to have a superstructure of carbon fibre composite material that has been integrated with its main hull resulting in lower top weight and maintenance costs and improved stealth features. The ship is 109 metres long and 12.8 metres broad and is highly maneuverable with a top speed of 25 knots. It has a displacement of 3,300 tonnes and a range of about 3,450 nautical miles at 18 knots. It is powered by 4 diesel engines that generate a combined power of 3000 kW and propelled by a main unit of four 3,888 kW diesel engines at 1,050 rpm.[13]
Kavaratti is to be armed with a range of indigenously developed cutting-edge weapons and sensors, including "a medium-range gun, torpedo tube launchers, rocket launchers and a close-in weapon system". The ship will also contain an integrated communication system and an electronic warfare system. It has been designed by the Indian Navy's Directorate of Naval Design as part of Project 28. It is capable of fighting under nuclear, biological and chemical environments. It will be a frontline warship of the Indian Navy with advanced stealth features and a low radar signature that enhances its anti-submarine warfare capability. The ship will have a complement of 17 officers and 106 sailors.
Commissioning edit
INS Kavaratti has completed sea trials and delivered to Indian Navy on 18 February 2020. The ship was commissioned into the Navy by Indian Army COAS General Manoj Mukund Naravane on 22 October 2020.[2][1]
References edit
- ^ a b "GRSE delivers 4th anti-submarine warfare corvette to Navy". Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- ^ a b "Indigenously built ASW Corvette 'Kavaratti' to be Commissioned at Visakhapatnam". PIB India. 21 October 2020.
- ^ Gupta, Jayanta (16 October 2017). "INS Kiltan commissioned to Navy by defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 21 February 2018.
- ^ Aero India (PDF). pp.42.
- ^ "Indian Navy commissions fourth and final Kamorta-class corvette". Janes.com. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
- ^ Rahmat, Ridzwan; Hardy, James (22 July 2014). "Indian Navy takes delivery of first anti-submarine corvette". IHS Jane's Navy International. Archived from the original on 2 September 2014.
- ^ "Anti-Submarine Warfare Ship Kavaratti Launched in Kolkata".
- ^ "Indigenous stealth warship INS Kavaratti commissioned into Indian Navy by Army Chief at Visakhapatnam dockyard". www.timesnownews.com. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ^ OdAdmin (21 October 2020). "Indigenously built ASW Corvette 'Kavaratti' to be Commissioned at Visakhapatnam". Odisha Breaking News | Odisha News | Latest Odisha News| Odisha Diary. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ^ "Army chief to commission four indigenously built INS Kavaratti tomorrow". Sify. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ^ "INS Kavaratti to be commissioned into Indian Navy today: All you need to know about warship". Hindustan Times. 22 October 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ^ "INS Kavaratti launched in Kolkata".
- ^ a b "INS Kavaratti: Anti-submarine warfare class stealth corvette launched". The Economic Times. 19 May 2015.