In an effort to boost its ability to detect enemy submarines, the Navy on Monday inducted an indigenously designed and built anti-submarine warfare stealth corvette INS Kiltan. This is the third such warship having these capabilities to join service and has a superstructure of carbon fibre composite material to enhance its stealth features to evade enemy radars.
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman commissioned INS Kiltan in Visakhapatnam, the headquarters of Eastern Naval command. Navy Chief Admiral Sunil lanba and Eastern Command Vice Admiral HS Bisht were also present.
The ship is fitted with the entire range of weapons and sensors to detect submarines and these systems are integrated to provide a common operational picture. Moreover, its carbon superstructure also makes the ship light and brings down maintenance costs, officials said.
Sitharaman later said INS Kiltan strengthens our defence system and will be a shining “armour” in our ‘Make in India’ programme as it is totally built here. Designed by the Directorate of Naval Design under Project 28 (Kamorta Class) and built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers(GRSE), Kolkata, INS Kiltan is also the first major warship to have undertaken sea trials of all major weapons and sensors as a pilot project and is ready to be operationally deployed on the day of joining the Indian Navy. Short range surface to air missiles and anti-submarine warfare helicopters will become part of the 3,300 ton ship in the near future, officials said.
Regarded as a prestigious acquisition, INS Kiltan is one of the most potent warships to have been constructed in India. The ship’s keel of was laid on August 10, 2010 and launched on March 26, 2013.
The ship is propelled by four diesel engines to achieve speeds in excess of 25 knots and has an endurance of around 3,500 Nautical Miles. Its first chief is Commander Naushad Ali Khan.
The ship has enhanced stealth features resulting in a reduced Radar Cross Section (RCS) achieved by X-form of hull and superstructure along with optimally sloped surfaces. The very low under water acoustic signature makes it a ‘silent killer on the prowl.’
This has been achieved by using advanced techniques for propeller design and mountings of main machinery. The ship’s advanced stealth features make her less susceptible to detection by the enemy and help in effective employment of soft kill measure like the indigenous missile decoy rockets(Chaff).
More than 80 per cent of the ship is indigenous with state of the art equipment and systems to fight in nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) warfare conditions. Also, P-28 weapons and sensors suite is predominantly indigenous and showcases the nation’s growing capability in this niche area.
The weapon systems on board include heavy weight torpedoes, rockets, 76 mm caliber medium range gun and two multi-barrel 30 mm guns as close-in-weapon System (CIWS) with dedicated fire control systems. She is also fitted with advanced Electronic Support Measure(ESM)) system to detect and map enemy transmissions and direction finder equipment. The ship boasts of a highly advanced Combat Management System and a sophisticated Integrated Platform Management System.
The ship gets her name from old INS Kiltan (P79), a Petya class ASW ship that served the nation for 18 years before being decommissioned in June 1987. Named after the coral island belonging to the lakshadweep group of islands in India, the ship has a total complement of 15 officers and 180 sailors. The sleek and magnificent ship spans 109 meters in length and 14 meters in breadth.