Ahead of the commissioning of the first indigenously built stealth ship INS Shivalik, the Indian Navy is likely to acquire 10 such vessels in the next 10 years, a naval officer said on Wednesday.
The first indigenously-built stealth ship, INS Shivalik, will be commissioned April 29, which has been built at Mumbai?s Mazagaon Docks Ltd under Project 17. Two more such vessels are under construction and are likely to be commissioned in the next one year.
?Shivalik is equipped with a judicious mix of Russian, Western and indigenous weapons and sensors. The indigenous effort accounts for over 60 % of the ship?s cost, estimated to be Rs 2,300 crore per ship,? Rear Admiral KN Vaidyanathan, director general (Naval Design), said.
?Besides design and construction, the ship incorporates technologically advanced indigenous systems such as the integrated versatile console system, ship-wide data network and the jointly developed (with Russia) combat management system,? he added.
So far India has imported the first three stealth frigates from Russia and three more have been ordered. The ship is fitted with state-of-the-art technology and bristles with a sophisticated system of radars and weaponry.