India has commissioned the INS Visakhapatnam, the lead ship of the Visakhapatnam-class destroyer.
The Visakhapatnam-class destroyers, or P-15 Bravo-class, or simply P-15B
is a class of guided-missile destroyers currently being built for the Indian Navy. The P-15B
destroyers are modified versions of the earlier Kolkata-class destroyers (P-15A).
The class consists of four vessels – Visakhapatnam, Mormugao, Imphal and Surat,
all four are being built by Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL).
Noted for being the largest-ever destroyers built by India, the P-15B class features substantial
improvements in design, technology and stealth, over the P-15A class.
In this video Defense Updates analyzes why India's latest indigenously built destroyer
INS Visakhapatnam is one of the best in the world?
Let's get started.
This video is sponsored by War Thunder. If you are, like us, fascinated by military vehicles and technology, I recommend
you give War Thunder a try. It's a military vehicle combat game which you can download and
play for free on PC, PlayStation4 and Xbox One - with cross-platform support. It has a huge variety
of more than 1200 playable aircraft, tanks, helicopters and ships from the 1930s to the 1990s,
which you can take to battle on land, in the air and at sea on more than 80 theaters of war.
War Thunder has been kind enough to offer all Defense Updates viewers a special bonus,
which will grant you a free premium tank or aircraft or ship and three days of premium
account time for registering using our link in the description below.
So, take the plunge and join the more than 20 million players from all over the world!
The Visakhapatnam-class was designed by the
Directorate of Naval Design, the Indian Navy's premier organization for designing warships.
The P-15B retains a significant amount of its hull design, propulsion systems, sensors and
ordnance from its predecessor, the Kolkata-class (P-15A), to benefit from serial production.
However, the P-15B features a lower radar cross-section,
through modifications in the superstructure and the utilization of "radar-transparent"
deck-fittings and radar-absorbing paint, which makes the vessels difficult to detect.
The P-15B destroyers also incorporate newer design elements for improved survivability, sea keeping,
stealth and maneuverability.
INS Visakhapatnam displaces 7,400 tonnes when fully loaded,
has speeds in excess of 55 km/h or around 35 mph and has a range of about 7,400 km or 4,600 miles.
The P-15B destroyers feature the IsraeliIAI EL/M-2248 MF-STAR
S-Band Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, for tracking both air and surface targets.
The radar is said to be capable of guiding 24 missiles at once to hit 12 targets. This gives
the ship an ability to defend itself against saturation air attacks depending on the number
of available missiles. The MF-STAR is capable of detecting large aerial targets at distances
>300 km or 185 miles and sea-skimming cruise missiles at ranges >25 km or 15 miles
The destroyers are also equipped with the Thales
LW-08 D-Band air-search radar, for tracking/monitoring aerial targets.
For underwater surveillance, the destroyers are equipped with the BEL HUMSA-NG bow sonar,
and the BEL Nagin active towed-array sonar.
The destroyers feature the "Ellora" ESM,
which is part of the larger BEL Ajanata MK2 EW suite – as their main electronic warfare system.
The destroyers also reportedly feature the "Deseaver
Mk-II" ECM suite, manufactured by Elbit Systems.
As for the class' defensive abilities, each destroyer is equipped with two Kavach
anti-missile decoy systems – for neutralizing aerial threats,
and the NSTL Maareech torpedo-countermeasure systems – for defense against torpedoes.
The primary Long-Range SAM on board the Visakhapatnam
is the Barak-8, which has been jointly developed by India and Israel.
The destroyer is equipped with 32 Barak 8 missiles, in four 8-cell VLS,
though the number can be increased to 64 as there are spaces available.
This 90 km or 56 miles range missile is designed from the start to intercept supersonic cruise
missiles, which travel a few meters above the water, which makes it perfect for missile defense
The role of CIWS (Close-in weapon system) is left to the 4 AK-630 6 barreled, 30 mm Gatling guns
which are a last-ditch defense against missiles. It has an effective range of 4 km or 2.5
The main gun is the OTO Melara 76 mm which has a high rate of fire and the availability of
several types of ammunition make it capable of short-range anti-missile point defense,
anti-aircraft, anti-surface, and ground support.
The main ASW (Anti Submarine Weapon) is its 2 twin 533 mm torpedo tubes,
which can fire long-range, heavyweight torpedoes with a range of up to 40 km or 25 miles.
The RBU-6000 rocket launching system complements it.
Beyond the horizon, ASW helicopters also provide ASW capability.
The Visakhapatnam has 2 large hangars, which can support any modern ASW helicopter.
Visakhapatnam's main Anti Surface Weapon is a battery of 16 vertically launched
BrahMos supersonic long-range Anti-Ship missiles.
This is one of the deadliest missile armaments of contemporary warships. It can hit ships at
ranges of around 300 km with extreme accuracy. The missile maintains a speed of Mach 2-3 throughout
its flight, which makes it extremely difficult for even modern defense systems to shoot it down.
There is a plan to increase the load with 8 additional cells.
INS Visakhapatnam is a platform that possesses the
poison (BrahMos) as well as the antidote (Barack 8).
A barrage of BrahMos will be hard to defend against even by a U.S
carrier strike force that has multiple Aegis enabled destroyers and cruisers
Since the missile is almost impossible to intercept, it will be a major headache for rivals.
Even the Chinese Renhai-class Type 055 cruiser, which reportedly has a displacement of 13,000 tons
and PLAN’s most potent surface combatant could be crippled out by a single BrahMos.
Barack 8 is an excellent defensive umbrella
that will protect INS Visakhapatnam from different kinds of threats.
A Chinese Military specialist while speaking on Indian Naval Capabilities in a Military
show hosted by state broadcaster CCTV channel identified Barak 8 as a key weapon system.
The expert stated that the system can counter the firepower
of the People’s Liberation Army Navy while operating in the Indian ocean to a great extent.
Some experts believe that Barack 8 is the only air defense system
that can reliably intercept a supersonic missile-like BrahMos.
Considering all aspects it can be said that INS Visakhapatnam is one of the best in the world.