First warship to have been named after a city from the North-East

New Delhi, December 24

INS Imphal, the indigenously-built stealth guided missile destroyer equipped with BrahMos surface-to-surface missiles, will be commissioned into the Indian Navy on Tuesday in a boost to its maritime capability amid China’s increasing forays into the Indian Ocean region.

7,400 tonnes Displacement

164mLength

30 knots Speed

It is the first warship to have been named after a city from the North-Eastern region, the approval for which was accorded by the President in April 2019.

The warship will be commissioned at a ceremony in the naval dockyard in Mumbai in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, officials said.

The naming of the ship after the capital city of Manipur underlines the importance of the North-Eastern region for national security and prosperity, they said.

A guided missile destroyer with a displacement of 7,400 tonnes and overall length of 164m, Imphal is a potent and versatile platform equipped with state-of-the-art weapons and sensors, including surface-to- air missiles, anti-ship missiles and torpedoes.

Powered by Combined Gas and Gas (COGAG) propulsion, the ship is capable of achieving speeds in excess of 30 knots (56 km/hour).

The ship boasts of a high indigenous content of approximately 75 per cent that includes BrahMos surface-to-surface missiles, medium range surface-to-air missiles, anti-submarine indigenous rocket launchers and 76mm super rapid gun mount.

INS Imphal was delivered to the Indian Navy on October 20 after completion of a rigorous and comprehensive trial programme both in the harbour and at sea.

Subsequently, the ship successfully test-fired the extended-range supersonic BrahMos missile last month, a first for any indigenous warship before commissioning.

Following this milestone, the ship’s crest was unveiled by Defence Minister Singh in New Delhi in the presence of the Chief Minister of Manipur.

Upon commissioning, INS Imphal will join the Western Naval Command. The commissioning ceremony will mark the formal induction into the Navy of the third of the four ‘Visakhapatnam’ class destroyers, indigenously designed by the Indian Navy’s in-house organisation, Warship Design Bureau.

The ship was constructed by Mazagon Dock Limited, Mumbai. “Imphal can rightfully be regarded as one of the most potent warships to have been constructed in India — a testament to India’s growing shipbuilding prowess in pursuit of the national vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’,” an Indian Navy spokesperson said