MUMBAI: The Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet gets more muscles as the Indian Navy on Saturday commissioned its new stealth frigate INS Satpura which has advanced stealth features to dodge enemy’s radars and packed with potent firepower. The warship, along with its first vessel in the series INS Shivalik, will be deployed in Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean region.
The warship is the second of its kind to be built in the country at the Mumbai-based Mazagon Dockyard Ltd under Project 17 and would remain the mainstay of the Indian Navy for the first half of the century.
“INS Shivalik has been 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 in Mumbai as its “sword arm”, but it has been building its assets in the eastern region with the rising concerns about the presence of the Chinese Navy in the Indian Ocean Region.
With the 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. The ship, which is the second in its class and the largest of its kind in the world, was inducted into the force by the Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma and will be commanded by Captain Sharat. The first ship of the series, INS Shivalik, was commissioned last year and the last of the series- INS Shayadari will become operational by next year.
The frigate, conceived, designed and constructed indigenously, will give boost to the capabilities of the Indian Navy in the eastern region. 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 Satpura to reach near enemy positions undetected and inflict maximum damage.
Features INS Satpura is equipped with state-of-the-art defence against nuclear, biological and chemical attacks. The atmospheric control system filters and controls the temperature and humidity of the air coming into the ship at all times, including the air being used by the engines. It removes any radioactive, chemical or biological impurities, thereby protecting the crew and the systems even during a nuclear, biological or a chemical attack.
The Satpura is equipped with a mix of imported and indigenous weapon systems and sensors, including Barak surface-to-air missiles and Russian-made Klub cruise missiles, ‘shtil’ air defence system, rapid fire guns, basic anti-submarine warfare weapons and two helicopters. The ship also has indigenous Kavach chaff-dispensing system to counter incoming missiles and indigenous sonars and anti-submarine warfare systems.
The ship’s domestic requirements of fresh water will be met through two reverse osmosis plants, while a fully automated galley will “enable the crew to be fed Indian, Continental and Asian gourmet meals, including freshly baked bread and home-made ice-cream.
The accommodation arrangements for the 35 officers and over 250 cre have been provided by Godrej which met the criteria laid down for crew comfort and space management.
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