Indian Navy's most Advanced Guided Missile Destroyer Mormugao launched

Indian Navy’s indigenously built most Advanced Guided Missile Stealth Destroyer ‘Mormugao’ was launched in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
The bedecked ship was launched by Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba’s wife Reena at a function at Mazagaon Docks.
Key Facts

• It has been Christened ‘Mormugao’ after the Mormugao port of Goa, the home State of Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.
• The stealth vessel was built by government-run Mazgaon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd and belongs to Visakhapatnam class of ships being constructed under Project 15B.
• Mormugao has a displacement of 7,300 tonne with maximum speed of over 30 knots. It is fitted also with the Barak-8 long-range missiles.
• The vessel has been fitted with multi-mission radar for surveillance along with medium range air and surface surveillance radar and other advanced electronic warfare and decoys.
• It is equipped with surface-to-surface missiles, surface-to-air missiles and anti-submarine rocket launchers. It is also capable of carrying two anti-submarine warfare helicopters.

What is Project 15B?

• Union Government in 2011 had sanctioned four 15B ships at the cost of 29,700 crore rupees to develop a class of stealth guided missile destroyers for the Indian Navy.
• The Project 15B missile destroyers are modern warships equipped with latest weapons package in continuation of lineage of the highly successful Delhi and Kolkata Class ships.
• The first ship of the project, guided-missile destroyer ‘Visakhapatnam’ was launched on April 20, 2015.
• Four more such stealth destroyers would be built and delivered by MDL during 2020-2024.

Month: Current Affairs - September, 2016