[HolyDriver]

Indian naval warship, INS Kochi, the largest ever MADE IN INDIA stealth warship was commissioned by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai on 30-09-2015.

Designed by the Navy's in-house organisation, Directorate of Naval Design, and constructed by Mazagon Dock Ship builders Ltd (MDL) in Mumbai, the ship is christened after the vibrant port city of Kochi and is the second Indian Navy Kolkata class Destroyer and the 10th destroyer in India's combat fleet.

It follows INS Kolkata which was commisioned on 16 August 2014.The third and last in the series, INS Chennai will be inducted in 2016. MDL will undertake another (and even bigger) project costing Rs 29,000 crores to build 4 stealth destroyers and will see the induction of INS Vishakhapatnam in 2018-2019.


[Image courtesy: Wikipedia]

So what is the Kolkata class? Let's have a quick look:

KOLKATA CLASS

Also known as Project 15A, the Kolkata class is a class of stealth guided missile destroyers and comprises of three ships, Kolkata, Kochi and Chennai and are the largest destroyers to be operated by the Indian Navy.
Project 15A (Kolkata Class) is a follow-on of the Project 15 (Delhi Class) but boasts of much better capabilities due to the major improvements in design, addition of substantial land attack capabilities, use of modern sensors,weapon and helicopter systems. In all, 2363 modifications to the Delhi Class, to be precise!

Some mind-blowing figures of Kolkata Class (and hence of INS Kochi also):
Displacement: 7,400 t (7,300 long tons; 8,200 short tons) full load
Length: 163m (535ft)
Beam: 17.4m (57ft)
Draft: 6.5m (21ft)
Propulsion:

• Combined gas and gas system: Twin Zorya M36E gas turbine plants with 4 x DT-59 reversible gas turbines and 2 x RG-54 gearboxes.
• 2 x Bergen/GRSE KVM-diesel engines, 9,900hp (7,400kW) each.
• 4 × 1 MWe Wärtsilä WCM-1000 generator sets driving Cummins KTA50G3 engines and Kirloskar 1 MV AC generators.

Speed: In excess of 30 knots (56km/h)
Range: 8,000 nautical miles (15,000 km; 9,200 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Crew: 325

You can read more about the Kolkata class's sensors, processing systems and weapon systems here.

In today's age of constantly increasing expections (Ref Amazon's aur dkhao aur dikhao ad), you may be tempted to ask "What else?"
Let me sum it up in on word: BrahMos!

Coming back to our main topic, INS Kochi:

Motto: "Jahi Shatrun Mahabaho" loosely meaning "Armed to conquer the enemy" in Sanskrit. It is based on a Sanskrit phrase from the Bhagvad Gita.

Now I will let some pictures do the talking:






Images Courtesy: https://twitter.com/SpokespersonMoD

You can see in the above image that unlike others RADARs, this RADAR has no moving parts yet it is capable of detecting incoming missiles and aircrafts several hundred kilometres away! Installment of such a system requires millimeter perfect precision, and yes, it was installed in India!

• Building cost is around INR 3900-4000 Crores!
• It is abundantly spacious, no cramped gangways, no Hot Bunking (sharing bunks between multiple shifts)!
  
  Image Courtesy: NDTV
• Enhanced stealth features have been achieved through shaping of hull and use of radar-transparent deck fittings.
• Every sailor has a bunk and personal locker space.
• The entire ship is highly automated to handle complex tasks, to handle simple ones like snacks, it has an automated dosa maker!
  
  Image Courtesy: NDTV
• Thirsty after eating Dosa? The INS Kochi has 4 large Reverse Osmosis Plants to provide abundant fresh water to the ship and its crew.
• It's Indian built generators provide enough power to run a small town indefinitely!
• It needs 200 tons of cooling to ensure the electronics and weapon systems remain operational in hot and humid conditions.
• A bow mounted sonar dome, the second of its kind in an indigenous naval platform, has been introduced to enhance sonar acoustic performance.
• The ship includes a vertical launch missile system for long distance engagement of shore and sea-based targets.
• The ship is the second in the Indian Navy to have Multi-Function Surveillance and Threat Alert Radar(MF-STAR) to provide target data to Long Range Surface to Air Missile system (LR-SAM).
  
  Image Courtesy: NDTV
• The ship is loaded with long-range BrahMos surface-to- surface missile.
• The MF-STAR and LR-SAM systems were jointly developed by DRDO and Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. To protect against incoming air borne and surface threats, at medium and close in range, the ship has 76 mm and 30 mm gun mounts.
• It has 76 mm Super Rapid Gun Mount (SRGM) and AK 630 Close In Weapon System (CIWS) designed to take on air and surface targets.
  
  Image Courtesy: NDTV
• INS Kochi's anti-submarine arsenal consists of Indigenous Rocket Launchers (IRL), Indigenous Twin-tube Torpedo Launchers (ITTL) and bow-mounted new generation HUMSA Sonar Dome.
  
  Image Courtesy: NDTV
• It is equipped to operate two Sea King or Chetak helicopters.
• It has an automated MCR (Macinery Control Room) unlike previous Indian warships.
• The ship can be truly classified as a ‘Network of Networks’ as it is equipped with sophisticated digital networks, such as ATM based Integrated Ship Data Network (AISDN), Auxiliary Control System (ACS), Automatic Power Management System (APMS) and Combat Management System (CMS).
• What the above means is that it has seamless connectivity with other ships and ground control stations. It can provide information about enemy activity to sister warships and they can take further action if they are in more proximity.

Some More Tech Specs:

Sensors and processing systems:

• Thales LW-08 D-band air search radar
• IAI EL/M-2248 MF-STAR S-band AESA multi-function radar
• IAI EL/M-2238 L-band STAR surveillance radar
• BEL HUMSA-NG bow sonar
• BEL Nagin active towed array sonar
• BEL Electronic Modular Command & Control Applications (EMCCA Mk4) combat management system

Electronic warfare and decoys:
Elbit Systems Deseaver MK II countermeasures systems and defensive aids suite

Armament:

• Anti-air missiles:

4 × 8-cell VLS, for a total of 32;
Barak 8 missiles (Range: 0.5 km (0.31 mi) to 70 km (43 mi))

• Anti-ship missiles:

2× 8-cell UVLM for 16 BrahMos anti ship missiles

• Guns:

1 × 130 mm gun
4 × AK-630 CIWS

• Anti-submarine warfare:

4× Torpedo tubes
2× RBU-6000 anti-submarine rockets

Aircrafts carried: 2x helicopters:

• Sea King
• HAL Dhruv

One of the primary weapons of the INS Kochi, the Long Range Barak 8 surface-to-air missile is still being tested by Israel warships.

Hon'ble Defence Minister's short but apt message: " ‘Float’ component of shipbuilding nearly achieved; need 2 focus on ‘Move’ & ‘Fight’ aspects. "

We are proud of India Navy !

Sources of Information:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolkata-class_destroyer
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INS_Kochi_(D64)
3. https://twitter.com/SpokespersonMoD
4. http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/...cle7705575.ece
5. http://www.ndtv.com/mumbai-news/navy...-today-1224508
6. http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/insid...arship-1224090
7. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...w/49163022.cms
8. http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/...cle7705575.ece
9. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/i...w/49162943.cms

P.S. This is my first ever thread on Team Bhp, so please bear with me. My intentions are only to share the good news of commissioning of INS Kochi with fellow BHPians; it is a proud moment for all Indians. I don't own copyright of any images, they are taken from the mentioned sources.
In case you are wondering, I haven't Test Driven it

[coriollis]

It is so great to see an ' Made in India' product.

By the way, I am also proud to be associated with the ship. My company provides some of the systems which are necessary to maneuver the ship.

[Ayr70n_5enna]

Thank you for this wonderful share! Really, loved it!

[Rugged]

HolyDriver that was such precious information.
Thankyou so much for sharing !
Feel proud to be an Indian.
Made in India : Stealth Ships , Guess the world is watching us ?

[Shivanshu]

Wow this is a super achievement for our country, HolyDriver thanks for sharing the detailed information. Proud that this is 'Made in India'.

[samm]

Very well presented, @HolyDriver! To the point, covering all major items!
We Indians will use our capabilities only if pushed to the wall... Yet another proof. When we were completely isolated due to sanctions in the space and nuclear technologies, we rose up like a phoenix to be among the top few. Now we are slowly getting better in one more area - defence. Agonizingly slow, though! Other areas, still in the dumps, unfortunately.

[bullock-Car]

WOnderful vessel, Indian Navy is in forefront in strategic planning and indigenisation compared with airforce and army. They lead in the indigenisation efforts. A phenomenal piece of engineering and achievement.

[HolyDriver]

Originally Posted by coriollis

It is so great to see an ' Made in India' product.

By the way, I am also proud to be associated with the ship. My company provides some of the systems which are necessary to maneuver the ship.

Wow! Glad to be (virtually) associated with someone who in turn is associated with the company that provided some systems of the ship :P :-)

Originally Posted by Ayr70n_5enna

Thank you for this wonderful share! Really, loved it!

You are welcome, the great legend, Ayrton Senna ! :-)

Originally Posted by Rugged

HolyDriver that was such precious information.
Thankyou so much for sharing !
Feel proud to be an Indian.
Made in India : Stealth Ships , Guess the world is watching us ?

Surely the world is watching and this is just the beginning :-)
The 2018 bound Vishakhapatnam class (Project 15B) will be even more stealthier and will also feature a full-fledged Total Atmosphere Control System (TAC) to provide its crew greater protection in a nuclear, chemical or biological warfare scenario.

Originally Posted by Shivanshu

Wow this is a super achievement for our country, HolyDriver thanks for sharing the detailed information. Proud that this is 'Made in India'.

It indeed is a super achievement. You are welcome :-)

Originally Posted by samm

We Indians will use our capabilities only if pushed to the wall... Yet another proof. When we were completely isolated due to sanctions in the space and nuclear technologies, we rose up like a phoenix to be among the top few.

Very well said ! :-) Reminded me of A. P. J. Abdul Kalam Sir. Will surely miss him.

Originally Posted by bullock-Car

WOnderful vessel, Indian Navy is in forefront in strategic planning and indigenisation compared with airforce and army. They lead in the indigenisation efforts. A phenomenal piece of engineering and achievement.

Indeed. Indian Navy has unveiled a 15 year Indian Naval Indigenisation Plan 2015-2030. Source:The Hindu

A warship can be broadly divided into three segments — float, move and fight. The Navy has achieved 90 per cent indigenisation in the float category, while the move (propulsion) and fight (weapons) components stand at 60 and 30 per cent respectively, which are priority areas to be addressed.

The plan’s objective is to have a 200-ship navy by 2027

[V.Narayan]

Dear Holy Driver, thank you for putting up this informative thread of a proud achievement of our country. Congratulations on hitting a sixer in your very first thread and here's a toast for many more to come.

It is to the credit of both the Navy's Directorate of Design and Mazagon Docks that they have worked together in unison for over 50 years to give us some home grown capability to design and build our own warships. Our weak indigenization policies and a string of incompetent Defence Ministers in the last two decades has held back our ability to build our own power plant train, and weapon systems and hopefully in the next 25 years that too will come.



Photo source: Bharat Rakshak.com
The Kolkatta class is a successor to the 'Delhi' class that were commissioned in the 1997 to 2000 period. They were the first destroyers to be designed and built in India and have been a great success in addition to being handsome ships. Interestingly in the 1980s when we were designing the Delhi class we asked the Soviets for their assistance but not enough was forthcoming so we decided to go it alone though most of the weapons came from the then USSR and the propulsion from Ukraine.



In the Kolkatta class the Navy wisely decided to stay with the same platform - hull, propulsion & auxiliary systems but significantly and completely upgrade all the weapons and sensors (which is after all what a warship is primarily about) and modify the superstructure to reduce the radar signature. I had the pleasure of a guided tour of the mighty vessel and some of the stealth features. I was as excited as when I went on my first visit to a warship in 1969.



Photo from personal archives
On left is Mr Rajeev Shinde the project head in-charge of building this particular vessel from keel to commissioning and on the right is Commander PR Raghunath the Director Shipbuilding of Max Docks under whose overall responsibility this ship and many others have been built/are building.We should give our salute not only to our designers in uniform but also to the public servants of Maz Docks who build these ships working under all the restrictive conditions of a public sector enterprise. Interestingly both officers have contributed significantly to all the recent classes built at Maz Docks - Delhi, Shivalik and now Kochi. Photo shows the Kochi lengthwise at the commissioning ceremony (taken just after the ceremony once the big-wigs had left). The two left side (port) anti-missile defense 30mm 6-barreled guns can be clearly seen. Jai Hind.

[nevinfrancis]

^^ any idea why are they continuing with the legacy RAWL-02 as the long range surveillance radar? they used the newer ELTA 2238 STAR on shivalik class.

[Nempuguru]

Salute to all the people who are associated with this great achievement. Wish more and more successful accomplishments in future. Hope this motivates other sectors also (HAL, NAL etc).

Thank you Narayan, HolyDriver for valuable pointers, photos.

I had the pleasure of a guided tour of the mighty vessel and some of the stealth features. I was as excited as when I went on my first visit to a warship in 1969.

Salute to you for your efforts in bringing such detailed threads. These are like Team-BHP review of stealth warships!

Jai Hind.

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by nevinfrancis

^^ any idea why are they continuing with the legacy RAWL-02 as the long range surveillance radar? they used the newer ELTA 2238 STAR on shivalik class.

Photo below depicts the two main radars and two main submarine search sonars.

Both the sonars are 100% indigenous efforts and successful too. In fact the bow mounted sonar named HUMSA has performed to higher standards in tropical waters around us than either western or Russian makes both of which we have operated/continue to operate. The Thales (earlier Hollandse Signaalapparaten) RAWL-08 is a continuously improved product of the variant we started license production in 1970s under collaboration with the Dutch. It is a very long range search radar -400 kms for a high flying aircraft and up to 75 to 90 kms for a surface ship - it provides the raw early warning. With continuous improvements it is perfectly contemporary for the threats we face keeping in mind that we don't plan to fight the French or the Americans....and it is reliable and wholly Indian now. The Elta STAR radar is an AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) for fine search, track and attack. It can pick up a sea skimming missile at 25 kms and a low flying aircraft at 120 kms.

Originally Posted by Nempuguru

Hope this motivates other sectors also (HAL, NAL etc).

Thank you Narayan, HolyDriver for valuable pointers, photos.

Thank you for your kind words. Team BHP's clean and high standards are a motivating factor to write on this forum. The Navy has progressed to designing and building large successful warships by proceeding step by step unlike the Air Force which twice (Marut & Tejas) tried to make a big leap in one go without having cut the milk teeth first. Hence 60 years after the start of the Marut HF-24 jet fighter project started we are still trying to get the LCA into full squadron service. What an utter shame. One reason the Navy & Maz Docks have succeeded is because they have limited the involvement of DRDO and its politics.

[HolyDriver]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Dear Holy Driver, thank you for putting up this informative thread of a proud achievement of our country. Congratulations on hitting a sixer in your very first thread and here's a toast for many more to come.

Thank You so much Sir! :-)
It is an honour to receive such good feedback from a learned person like you, especially in the field of Aviation and Ships. I have been reading your threads on Indian Navy, Indian Aviation and Indian Naval Aviation. I must say they are very detailed and the photos/images make it even more easier for us (the new generation) to grasp the thoughts behind the design, development and the evolution that has happened over a period of several decades. If time permits, I plan to read them in one go.

In the Kolkatta class the Navy wisely decided to stay with the same platform - hull, propulsion & auxiliary systems but significantly and completely upgrade all the weapons and sensors (which is after all what a warship is primarily about) and modify the superstructure to reduce the radar signature.

They seem to continue with the same strategy in terms of designing Visakhapatnam class and it makes sense as designing every new class from scratch will not only prove to be a financial burden, but will also take much more time for completion. This must also help in allocating more time and funds for updation of armaments and stealth systems.

I had the pleasure of a guided tour of the mighty vessel and some of the stealth features. I was as excited as when I went on my first visit to a warship in 1969.

Lucky you! You are witness to almost 6 decades of Indian Naval evolution!

We should give our salute not only to our designers in uniform but also to the public servants of Maz Docks who build these ships working under all the restrictive conditions of a public sector enterprise. Jai Hind.

Totally Agree. Salute to both!
Jai Hind!

Team BHP's clean and high standards are a motivating factor to write on this forum.

Very true. And the feedback from fellow Bhpians tremendously helps in gaining more knowledge.

Originally Posted by Nempuguru

Salute to all the people who are associated with this great achievement.
Thank you Narayan, HolyDriver for valuable pointers, photos.

Salute to all organisations involved and unsung heroes of India.
You are welcome :-)

[quickdraw]

Nice to see that it has a CIWS system, for people who don't know what it is its an automated turret robot that fires automatically at incoming missiles, and because the bullets travel slower than the missile it predicts and fires where it thinks the missile is going to be.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zsf38NYzo5Q

But its been rendered useless in recent times with cruise missiles rapidly changing course in last few hundred meters to counter CIWS systems.

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by quickdraw

.... that fires automatically at incoming missiles, and because the bullets travel slower than the missile it predicts and fires where it thinks the missile is going to be.

But its been rendered useless in recent times with cruise missiles rapidly changing course in last few hundred meters to counter CIWS systems.

Allow me to correct a few facts. Whether it is the Phalanx CIWS (Close-In Weapon System) shown in your post above or the Russian AK-630 CIWS shown in the photo below (which is fitted on several Indian warships) the speed of the outgoing cannon shell versus speed of the incoming missile have only a limited co-relation to the CIWS' ability to shoot down the missile as the two objects are approaching each other and not the cannon shell chasing the missile. The anti-ship missile would be coming in usually at Mach 0.9 to Mach 1.1. The kind of missile that is difficult to shoot down due to lack of time to detect, track, identify and then aim are the ones that fly at over Mach 3.0 close to the sea surface. Brahmos is one such example. The outgoing cannon shell usually flies in the range of 800 to 1000 metres per second (Mach 2.4 to Mach 3.0). The fact that some missiles 'pop up' in the last 1000 metres no longer degrades a CIWS's ability to engage them successfully though it makes the task one step more difficult. The 'pop up' manoeuver was first introduced by the Yanks in the McDonnell Douglas Harpoon missile in the late 1970s - at that time it was a real counter measure but not anymore for at least last 20 years.