Lethal threesome to strike fear in enemy’s heart

(Will be uploading pics of the events soon)

On board INS Sahyadri: The troika of indigenous stealth frigates – INS Shivalik, INS Satpura and INS Sahyadri – got completed with the commissioning of the last warship in the class and together in the Eastern theatre they will strike fear in the heart of the enemy on the eastern sea board.

 

Named after the mountain ranges of the country – the last of the three stealth frigates Sahyadri was commissioned on Saturday by Defence Minister AK Antony here. The two of the class are already adding might to India’s muscle on the eastern coast as China becomes more assertive in the South China Sea and in the Indian Ocean Region.

Sahyadri is the third of its kind to be in the country at the Mumbai-based Mazagon Dock Ltd under Project 17 and wound remain the mainstay of the Indian Navy for the first half of the century. Meanwhile, the stealth features, weapon array and design of the warship has earned acclaim at the international level as the leading vessel of the class INS Shivalik went on a long deployment to West Pacific region and did port calls to countries like Japan and China.

“INS Sahyadri will be deployed in the eastern fleet and Satpura will also go there eventually,” a naval official said. The Indian Navy for years had the western naval command stationed at Mumbai as its “sword arm” but it has been building its assets in the eastern theatre gradually with rising concerns about the presence of the Chinese navy in the Indian Ocean Region. The lone aircraft carrier of the navy INS Virat is in the western fleet, now the force is looking forward to operate two aircraft carriers in both the regions.

This came even as the Defence Minister called for freedom of navigation through the Sea Lines of Communication (SLOC) in the South China Sea. “In South China Sea our role is limited. But there should be unhindered passage to all the ships in international water. At the same time issues between countries should be sorted out by dialogue, discussion and persuasion, without any confrontation,” Antony added. The ship will be commanded by Captain RK Vatsyayan. The first ship of the class INS Shivalik was commissioned 2010 and INS Satpura in 2011

The frigate is conceived, designed and constructed indigenously will considerably boost the capabilities of the Indian Navy in the eastern theatre. A stealth warship is designed to have low signatures so that they remain undetected to enemy electronic sensors of other navies. It’s shape is designed to evade detection by radar; it is engineered to give off minimal infra-red (IR) emissions; and every piece of equipment on board, from engines to toilet flushes, are designed to work silently so that the ship cannot be heard by the enemy’s sonar and acoustic sensors. This stealth will allow the INS Sahyadri to reach near enemy positions undetected and inflict maximum damage.

Sahyadri is equipped with a mix of imported and indigenous weapon systems and sensors, including Barak surface-to-air and Russian Klub cruise missiles, 'shtil' air defence system, rapid fire guns, basic anti-submarine warfare weapons and two helicopters.

The ships also have the indigenous Kavach chaff-dispensing system to counter incoming missiles, as also indigenous sonars and anti-submarine warfare systems.

With the completion of the Project-17, path is clear for the follow-on construction of seven more warships under the Project 17-A. Antony said: “The Contract Negotiation for Project 17-A is on and as and when it’s over we will send it for CCS (Cabinet Committee on Security) approval.” Four of these warships will be constructed by MDL and the rest three will be manufactured at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE). The project which has already been running several years behind the schedule will entail a cost of over Rs 2,200 crore for each ship.

The warships under Projec-17 A will have stealthier features and it will be equipped with BrahMos Supersonic cruise missiles and Barak NG missiles. The warships will have ‘flushed’ decks with weapons beneath the surface to reduce signature on radars.