Indian Navy Launches Stealth Warship Satpura

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Mumbai, June 4: ‘Satpura’, the indigenously-built stealth warship and the second of the P-17 Frigate, was on Friday laun-ched at the Mazgaon Docks.

Looking resplendent in her colourful buntings, the 143 metre long and 16.9 M Wide ship, slipped into the waters of the Arabian Sea amidst the strains of ‘Saare Jahan Se Acha...’ after Harveen Krishnaswamy, wife of air chief marshal S Krishna-swamy, chief of air staff, pressed the trigger. Shivalik, the first ship of this class, was launched in April last year.

The Satpura, which was built two months ahead of its schedule and expected to be commissioned by September 2007, will be fitted with latest surface-to-surface vertical launched missiles, surface-to-air missiles and state of the art radar and communication equipment, according to admiral Madhvendra Singh, chief of the naval staff.

"They will be powered by gas turbines and diesel engines to move at the speed above 30 knots and will operate two large helicopters for surveillance and anti-submarine operations," he said, adding that "though the P-17 ships were smaller in size than the Delhi class destroyers, they would have more deadly and potent weapons".

Describing the launching as an important milestone, Mr Singh said, the ship, named after the satpura ranges, was expected to guard Indian waters like the silent sentinels.

The estimated cost of the ship was Rs 1,000 crore, Mr Singh said, adding that building the ship indegenously had radically cut down expenditure and also generated a lot of employment and boosted small industries. The keel of the third ship of the P-17 Frigate would be laid next year, Mr Singh added.

Rear admiral RM Bhatia, chairman and managing director Mazgaon Dock said that Satpura had a displacement of 4,900 tonne. The ship will have third generation communication systems, digitized versatile control systems, incorporating ATM-based integrated ship borne data network with fibre optic capable network.