_during_Malabar_2020_(cropped).jpg) INSKolkata at exercise Malabar, 2020. | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Kolkata class |
| Builders | Mazagon Dock Limited |
| Operators |  Indian Navy |
| Preceded by | Delhi class |
| Succeeded by | Visakhapatnam class |
| Cost | |
| Built | 2003–2015 |
| In commission | 2014–present |
| Planned | 3 |
| Completed | 3 |
| Active | 3 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Guided-missile destroyer |
| Displacement | 7,400 t (7,300 long tons; 8,200 short tons) full load[1][2][3] |
| Length | 163 m (534 ft 9 in) |
| Beam | 17.4 m (57 ft 1 in) |
| Draught | 6.5 m (21 ft 4 in) |
| Propulsion | Combined gas and gas system: 4 ×Zorya-MashproektDT-59 reversible gas turbines producing 16.55MW each[4][5] |
| Speed | 30knots (56 km/h) |
| Range | 6,000 nmi (11,000 km) at 18 kn (33 km/h) |
| Complement | 300 (50 officers + 250 sailors) |
| Sensors & processing systems | |
| Electronic warfare & decoys |
|
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | 2 ×Sea King orHAL Dhruv helicopters |
| Aviation facilities | Dual Enclosedhangar |
TheKolkata-class destroyers, also knownProject 15A orProject 15Alpha, are a class ofstealthguided-missile destroyers constructed for theIndian Navy. The class comprises three ships –Kolkata,Kochi andChennai, all of which were built byMazagon Dock Limited (MDL) inIndia, and are the largest destroyers to be operated by the Indian Navy. Due to delays in construction andsea trials, the initialcommissioning date of the first ship of the class was pushed back from 2010 to 2014.[11][12]
The destroyers are a follow-on of the Project 15Delhi-class destroyers, but are considerably more capable due to major improvements in the design, the addition of substantial land-attack capabilities, the fitting-out of modern sensors and weapons systems, and the expanded use of net-centric capability such asCooperative Engagement Capability.[13][14][15][16][17]
TheKolkata class share similar dimensions to the previousDelhi class, however they have 2,363 modifications which include major upgrades in weaponry, sensors and helicopter systems.[18] With a standard displacement of 6,800 t (6,700 long tons; 7,500 short tons) and a full-load displacement of 7,400 t (7,300 long tons; 8,200 short tons), they are the largest destroyers ever operated by the Indian Navy.[2] Some media reports have even given a full-load displacement of 7,500 t (7,400 long tons; 8,300 short tons).[1] These are the first stealth destroyers built by India and marked a significant development in India's shipbuilding technology. The ships incorporate modern weapons and sensors, and have an advancedinformation warfare suite, an auxiliary control system with a sophisticated power distribution architecture, and modular crew quarters.[19]
The class have a length of 163 m (534 ft 9 in), abeam of 17.4 m (57 ft 1 in) and adraught of 6.5 m (21 ft 4 in). The ship's power and propulsion features acombined gas and gas system utilizing four DT-59 reversible gas turbines. This configuration allows the ship to reach speeds in excess of 30knots (56 km/h; 35 mph).[20] Aviation facilities include a largeflight deck, which was re-designed to handle larger helicopters than theDelhi class, and an enclosed hangar for up to two maritime helicopters.[18]
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The primary radar sensor of the class is theEL/M-2248 MF-STAR multi-missionAESA.[6] It is also equipped withThales LW-08 long range volume searchradar.
The ship's main air-defence armament is composed of four eight-cellvertical launching systems (VLS) allowing for up to thirty-twoBarak 8 / MRSAM air defence missiles.[21]
The class is designed fornetwork-centric warfare such asCooperative Engagement Capability, where they operate wide-area air defense, distributing assets and control over different platforms and locations, and harnessing multiple sensors & effectors into a single air defense system. In May 2019, 2 ships of the class conducted the maiden cooperative engagement firing of the Barak 8 / MRSAM by using the Joint Taskforce Coordination (JTC) mode to intercept several simultaneous aerial targets involving two complex scenarios at extended ranges. With it, theIndian Navy became the second naval service in the world after the United States, and the first in Asia to have developed and deployed it. The capability is to be rolled out on all future major warships of the Indian Navy.[14]
FourAK-630CIWSs are fitted for close-in defence.[citation needed]
The supersonicBrahMos anti-ship and land-attack missiles are the primary offensive armament of theKolkata class.[22] The BrahMos missiles are fitted into a 16-cell Universal Vertical Launcher Module (UVLM) allowing one missile per launch silo, and all 16 missiles can be fired insalvo.[23]
The class carries a 76 mm (3 in) naval gun located forward of the bridge, which provides limited anti-shipping capability and anti-air capability in addition to its naval gun fire-support role for land-based operations.[citation needed]
A bow-mountedsonar HUMSA-NG (hull-mounted sonar array – new generation) is carried for sub-surface surveillance.[citation needed]
Foranti-submarine warfare, theKolkata class are equipped with a torpedo launching system via four torpedo tubes and twoRBU-6000 anti-submarine rocket launchers.[24]
BEL's Electronic Modular Command & Control Applications (EMCCA) Mk4 provides combat management.[6]
Fortylakh (four million) lines of codes have been written to develop the advanced combat management system onboardINSKochi. The system is designed so that all the data about the surrounding threat comes in one place, along with analysis of the kind of threat. The system also advises the commanding officer about the kind of weaponry he should use to tackle the threat in real time.[25] The ship is equipped with sophisticated digital networks, such as Asynchronous Transfer Mode based Integrated Ship Data Network (AISDN), Combat Management System (CMS), Automatic Power Management System (APMS) and Auxiliary Control System (ACS). The AISDN is the information highway on which data from all the sensors and weapon ride. The CMS is used to integrate information from other platforms using an indigenous data-link system to provide Maritime Domain Awareness. The intricate power supply management is done using APMS, and remote control and monitoring of machinery is achieved through the ACS.[26]
In 1986, the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) approved a follow-on class of the earlier Project 15Delhi-class destroyers. The aim was that the follow-on class would incorporate a higher level of air-defence, land attack, anti-submarine, and anti-ship capabilities than the preceding class. However, the Indian Navy did not initially take up the option.[27] By the year 2000, the Indian Navy had redesigned the follow-onKolkata class to incorporate even higher levels of technology (including modern stealth characteristics) and in May of that year, approval for the construction was given. The concept and function for Project 15A was framed by the navy's Directorate of Naval Design, while the detailed design was developed by Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL).[28][29][30]
Initially in 2008, the total program cost with long-term spare parts was expected to cost₹3,800 crore (US$450 million),[28] but the construction costs escalated about 225%, and by 2011, cost of the program became₹11,662 crore (US$1.4 billion), with each ship costing₹3,900 crore (US$460 million).[31] TheDefense MinisterA. K. Antony cited the causes being the delay in supply ofwarship-grade steel by Russia, increase in costs of Russian specialists due to inflation during the build period, wage revision due from October 2003 and delay in finalisation of cost of weapons and sensors.[32][33] AComptroller and Auditor General of India report published in 2010 blamed theNavy for delays, criticising the late decisions for replacement of surface to air missile system with Barak, change of gun mount, inclusion of a sonar dome and modification of helicopter hangar to accommodateHAL Dhruv.[18][34]
Construction of threeKolkata-class ships was sanctioned by theGovernment of India in May 2000, and steel for the lead ship was cut in March 2003. Construction began in September 2003 at Mazagon Docks, Mumbai, with an initial expectation that the first of the class would be handed over to the navy by 2010. However, since then theKolkata class has suffered consecutive delays, slow construction procedures, and technical problems, which saw the first ship of the class enter service during mid-2014. The delays in the construction programme have been attributed to persistent design changes made by the Indian Navy to incorporate new weapons systems and sensors, failure by aUkrainian shipyard to deliver the ship's propellers and shafts, and the contract later being awarded to aRussian firm,[35] and finally the delay in the delivery of the Barak 8 anti-air missiles.[36]
TheKolkata class are the largest destroyers ever to be constructed at Mazagon Docks.[37] Technical problems were found during the sea trials of the lead shipKolkata, which delayed the project by six months to early 2014.[11]
| Name | Pennant | Yard No. | Builder | Laid Down | Launched | Commissioned | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kolkata | D63 | 701[38] | Mazagon Dock Limited | 26 September 2003[39] | 30 March 2006[40][41] | 16 August 2014[42] | Active |
| Kochi | D64 | 702[38] | 25 October 2005[43] | 18 September 2009[43] | 30 September 2015[44] | ||
| Chennai | D65 | 703[45] | 21 February 2006[46] | 1 April 2010[37] | 21 November 2016[12] |
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_with_JMSDF_JS_Kaga_during_JIMEX2020.jpg)
_and_the_British_Navy_destroyer_HMS_Defender_(D36)_steam_alongside_the_Ticonderoga-class_guided-missile_cruiser_USS_Antietam_(CG_54)_during_an_exercise.JPG)
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_in_the_North_Arabian_Sea_during_Malabar_2020.jpg)
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At the moment, she is designed to carry only 32 Barak surface-to-air missiles...
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