Mumbai: 'Mormugao', a P15B stealth guided missile destroyer, is scheduled to be commissioned into the Indian Navy in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The guided missile is developed with an aim to further augment the navy's mobility, reach and flexibility towards the accomplishment of its role and tasks in the Indian Ocean and beyond.
The ship would be inducted at the Naval Dockyard, Mumbai on December 18. The event marks the formal induction into the Navy of the second of the four 'Visakhapatnam' class destroyers, indigenously designed by the Indian Navy's in-house organisation, Warship Design Bureau and constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Mumbai.
Named after the historic port city of Goa on the West coast, Mormugao missile destroyer coincidentally undertook her first sea sortie on 19 Dec 21, when Goa celebrated 60 years of liberation from Portuguese rule.
The majestic ship measures 163 m in length, and 17 m in breadth with a displacement of 7,400 tonnes and can rightfully be regarded as one of the most potent warships to have been constructed in India. The ship is propelled by four powerful Gas Turbines, in a Combined Gas and Gas (COGAG) turbine configuration, capable of achieving speeds in excess of 30 knots. The ship has enhanced stealth features resulting in a reduced Radar Cross Section (RCS).
"Mormugao is packed with sophisticated 'state of the art' weapons and sensors such as Surface to Surface Missile and Surface to Air Missiles. The ship is fitted with a modern Surveillance Radar which provides target data to the gunnery weapon systems of the ship. The ship's Anti-Submarine Warfare capabilities are provided by the indigenously developed rocket launchers, torpedo launchers and the ASW helicopters. The ship is equipped to fight under Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) warfare conditions," read an official statement by the Ministry of Defence.
