INS Imphal, an indigenously developed warship was commissioned in the Indian Navy today in a ceremony in Mumbai. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar were present.
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INS Imphal is the third of the four 'Visakhapatnam-class destroyers developed and designed by the Indian Navy. Visakhapatnam-class destroyers are classified as P-15 Bravo or P-15B and are an upgraded version of P-15A Kolkata class destroyers.
INS Imphal is the first warship named after a city from the northeast, the approval of which was given in 2019 by then-President of India Ram Nath Kovind.
INS Imphal has the unique distinction of being the most advanced stealth-guided missile destroyer and is named after a city from the northeast. It can achieve a maximum speed of 56 km/hr and is equipped with "state-of-the-art" weapons and sensors.
Before the induction of INS Imphal, the warship underwent several sea trials. It is capable of launching the BrahMos cruise missile, the world's fastest supersonic cruise missile, which can be launched from land, sea, air and even submarines.
INS Imphal is capable of undertaking Anti-Submarine Warfare operations. It is equipped with indigenously developed Rocket Launchers, and Torpedo Launchers and has modern surveillance radar which provides target data to the gunnery weapon systems.
The made-in-India destroyer has a 75 per cent high indigenous content including, a medium-range surface-to-surface missile, the BrahMos missile, torpedo tube launchers and a 76mm super rapid gun mount. The weapon systems are developed by Indian firms.
The time taken to build Imphal and put it under sea trials is the shortest ever for a destroyer. INS Imphal's keel was laid in 2017 and its trials began in 2019. The sea trials began in 2023 and in six months from April, the warship of this size was ready to be delivered.
Naming the destroyer after Imphal, the capital of Manipur, is a befitting tribute to the state's contribution to the Indian freedom struggle or the Anglo-Manipur War of 1891 or Netaji Subash Chandra Bose's hoisting of the INA flag for the first time in 1944 in Moirang, the Centre said.
The other destroyers in the Visakhapatnam class are INS Visakhapatnam, INS Mormugao, Imphal and Surat, representing different regions of different states. The Destroyers just come next to the aircraft carriers in terms of capabilities and operational relevance.
India's indigenous guided missile destroyer programme started in the 1990s with Project 15, the Delhi-class destroyer, followed by Project 15A, the Kolkata-class destroyer and now Project 15B.
