Article Posted on : - Jun 25, 2014

KOLKATA (PTI): India's first indigenously-built anti submarine warfare (ASW) corvette INS Kamorta is ready to be commissioned into the Indian Navy next month, defence officials have said.

Built by the Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd (GRSE), Kolkata, it will be the first warship armed with an indigenous rocket launcher for anti submarine warfare.

The corvette is readying to sail out from GRSE's fitting-out jetty in Kolkata to join the Navy's eastern fleet at Vishakhapatnam in July, the officials said.

The sophisticated frontline warship with stealth features will also be the first vessel armed with the new trainable chaff launcher - Kavach.

With an approximate displacement of 3,400 tonnes, it can achieve a maximum speed of 25 knots. It is powered by four indigenously designed 3888 KW diesel engines at 1050 rpm and can cover nearly 3,500 nautical miles at 18 knots.

The overall length of the ship is 109 meters and is nearly 13 metres wide at its maximum bulge.

With about 90 per cent of the warship being indigenous, it is also capable of deploying a helicopter, adding considerable punch to the vessel's anti-submarine warfare capability.

It is also the first naval ship fitted with bow mounted 'Sonar' (sound navigation and ranging) for enhanced underwater surveillance. Integration of indigenous surveillance radar (Revathi) for surface and air surveillance is another first on any Indian warship.

Each ship will be manned by 14 officers and 150 sailors.

The sturdy warship is the first in its class of four ASW corvettes being built for the Indian Navy.

Named after islands in Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshwadeep archipelago, ASW corvettes Kadmatt, Kiltan and Kavaratti are to follow suit progressively.