Navy launches stealth destroyer INS Kochi

Mumbai: Indian Navy added more fire power to its arsenal on Friday with the launch of country's second indigenously designed stealth destroyer INS Kochi.

Designed by the Directorate of Naval Design and built at Mazgaon Dock in Mumbai, the 163-meter long and 6,800-ton stealth destroyer was launched by the Navy Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma's wife Madhulika Verma.

The warship is the second of three Project 15-A Kolkata class stealth missile destroyers. The first vessel, INS Kolkata, launched earlier, is expected to join the fleet in 2010, followed by INS Kochi in 2011 and the third in May 2012.

INS Kochi is the latest stealth destroyer with land attack capability built for the Indian Navy and has advanced stealth features which make the warship less vulnerable to detection by enemy radar.

The warship propelled by four gas turbines can travel at a speed of 30 knots and will be armed with the latest weapon systems including Brahmos supersonic cruise missile.

The warship will also have Long Range Surface-to-Air missiles and a Multi-Function Radar System for acquiring data on surface and air targets.

For close-range defence capability INS Kochi will have four AK-630 rapid-fire guns and a medium range gun. The warship will also have indigenously developed twin-tube torpedo launchers and anti-submarine rocket launchers to take care of enemy attacks from under the sea.

There is space for two multi-role helicopters, too, on the ship which along with the NPOL developed Humsa-NG hull-mounted sonar will add to the warship's anti-submarine capability.

A pontoon-assisted launch technique, being used for the first time in India, has been employed to avoid slipway constraints on heavier vessels.

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