Navy’s INS Imphal- features|strenght
the Indian Navy is poised to commission its latest indigenously built stealth-guided missile destroyer, INS Imphal, at Mumbai’s Naval Dockyard. Scheduled for Tuesday,
the ceremony will be attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. INS Imphal, the third of the ‘Visakhapatnam’ class destroyers, represents a significant development amid China’s expanding presence in the Indian Ocean region.
INS Imphal is a stealth guided missile destroyer ship built for the Indian Navy by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL). It is India’s third indigenous stealth destroyer under Project 15B class.
Measuring 163 metres in length, displacing 7,400 tons and with 75% indigenous content, Imphal can rightfully be regarded as one of the most potent warships to have been constructed in India.
Some Indigenised Sysytem on INS Imphal
Some of the major indigenised equipment/system onboard Imphal include
- Indigenous Medium Range Surface to Air Missiles,
- Surface to Surface Missiles,
- Torpedo Tubes,
- Anti-Submarine Rocket Launchers,
- Super Rapid Gun Mount,
- besides Combat Management System,
- Integrated Platform Management System,
- Automated Power Management System,
- Foldable Hangar Doors, Helo Traversing system, Close-in Weapon System and Bow mounted SONAR.
- Major OEMs, as well as MSMEs such as BEL, L&T, Godrej, Marine Electrical, BrahMos, Technico, Kineco, Jeet & Jeet, Sushma Marine, Techno Process, etc., have all contributed to making of the mighty Imphal.
Here are some facts about INS Imphal:
- It is 163 meters long and 17.4 meters wide, with a displacement of 7,400 tonnes.
- It has an endurance of 4,000 nautical miles, and can carry out a 42-day mission with extended mission time in an out-of-area operation.
- It can accommodate a crew of 312 persons.
- It is the first naval warship commissioned with accommodation for women officers and sailors.
- Its arsenal consists of 76mm Super Rapid Gun Mounts, Indigenous Torpedo Tube Launchers, Indigenous Anti-Submarine Rocket Launchers, Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missiles, BrahMos Surface-to-Surface Missiles, and more.
- It incorporates several niche technologies and high indigenous content.
- It is designed in-house by the Navy’s Warship Design Bureau and constructed by Mazagon Dock Ltd. (MDL).
INS Imphal’ Logo
The INS Imphal’s logo is a dragon’s head and lion’s body, which is considered sacred to Meitei heritage. It is also the guardian and protector of its people.
why is INS Imphal named on Imphal?
Imphal will have the unique distinction of being the largest and the most advanced destroyer to be ever named after a city from the North-east.
This is a befitting tribute to Manipur’s sacrifices and contributions in India’s freedom struggle, be it the Anglo-Manipur War of 1891; or Netaji Subash Chandra Bose’s hoisting of the INA flag for the first time on 14 April 1944 at Moirang; or
the pitched Battle of Imphal between British and Imperial Japanese forces, with Indians on both sides, that turned the tide of the Burma campaign and shaped the outcome of the Second World War and the new world order.
The commissioning of Imphal, thus, underscores the salience and contribution of the city of Imphal, the state of Manipur and the larger North-eastern region to national security, sovereignty and prosperity.