INS Imphal.
Credit: PIB
Mumbai: 'Imphal', the first warship to be named after a city from northeast India, will be commissioned into the Indian Navy in Mumbai on Tuesday in presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
The commissioning of the warship underscores the salience and contribution of the capital of Manipur - Imphal - and the larger northeastern region to national security, sovereignty, and prosperity.
This is a befitting tribute to Manipur’s sacrifices and contributions in India’s freedom struggle, be it the Anglo-Manipur War of 1891, Netaji Subhas 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.
Upon commissioning, Imphal will join the Mumbai-headquartered Western Naval Command.
The Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) has built the ship in record period - time taken to build Imphal (Yard 12706) and for her trials is the shortest for any indigenous destroyer.
Imphal’s keel was laid on 19 May 2017 and the ship was launched into the sea on April 20, 2019.
Imphal sailed out for her maiden sea trials on April 28, 2023 and completed a comprehensive schedule of trials, both in the harbour and at sea, leading up to its delivery on October 20, 2023, within a record time frame of six months – the fastest for a ship of its size.
The first ship of P15B class INS Visakhapatnam was commissioned on November 21, 2021, while the second INS Mormugao was commissioned on December 18, 2022.
The Visakhapatnam-class (P15B-class) is one of the most advanced ships of the three-dimensional blue-water force.
A significant addition to the naval fleet, Imphal is a state-of-the-art warship, designed by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau and built by MDL, with significant contributions from the public and private sectors, including MSMEs, and DRDO.
The Visakhapatnam class (P15B-class) is the latest in the lineage of Kolkata-class (Project 15A) and Delhi-class (Project 15) indigenous destroyers with upgraded capabilities and greater indigenous content.
Measuring 163 metres in length, displacing 7,400 tons and with 75 per cent indigenous content, Imphal can rightfully be regarded as one of the most potent warships to have been constructed in India.
A formidable moving fortress at sea, Imphal is capable of achieving speeds in excess of 30 knots and 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 ASW helicopters.
The ship is equipped to fight under nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) warfare conditions and has a high degree of automation and stealth features further enhancing her combat capability and survivability.