India’s indigenous INS Visakhapatnam on Sunday was formally dedicated to the City of Destiny.

In a formal ceremony at the Naval Dockyard, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Jagan Mohan Reddy dedicated the destroyer which has been designed and developed indigenously and built in India. This destroyer, named after the City of Destiny, is on her maiden visit to the City of Destiny for Ex MILAN-22 and the Presidential Fleet Review.

The chief minister also addressed the public in the presence of the 500 foreign delegates, naval officials from India and other participating countries as well as local ministers. He also complimented Eastern Naval Command officers for designing Dolphin Lighthouse and Dolphin nose livery for the destroyer. After the dedication ceremony, he interacted with the crew of the ship which is being commanded by Captain Birendra Singh Bains, a Navigation & Direction specialist.

INS Visakhapatnam

Last year the destroyer was commissioned and this will help the Indian Navy deal with emerging threats in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). This destroyer made in India has onboard state of the art sensors and weapons and also modern surveillance radars. This will also augment the navy’s mobility, flexibility and reach.

Maritime Prowess

India’s primary objective to keep the Indo-Pacific open, safe & secure, and the indigenous destroyer will further help the Indian Navy in strengthening maritime security.

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This is India’s first of the four stealth guided missile destroyers under Project 15B and as has been reported earlier has been designed in-house by the Indian Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design. It has 75 percent indigenous content and has been constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Mumbai.

It is the most technologically advanced guided destroyer in the world with a displacement of 7, 400 tonnes. The most potent warship to be constructed in India, measures 163m in length, 17m in breadth and has the capability of speed in excess of 30 knots.

With anti-submarine warfare capabilities, it is propelled by four powerful Gas Turbines, which are in a Combined Gas and Gas (COGAG) configuration.

It has stealth features: There is a reduced Radar Cross Section (RCS), plated masts, full beam superstructure design and efficient shaping of hull.

It is also equipped to be deployed to fight in Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) warfare conditions.

Onboard the ship there are state of the art sensors and weapons like Surface to Surface Missiles as well as Surface to Air Missiles.

There is modern surveillance radar. This radar, according to the navy, provides target data to the gunnery weapon systems of the ship.