INDIA
DEFENCE CONSULTANTS
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WHAT'S
HOT? –– ANALYSIS OF RECENT HAPPENINGS |
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THE NEW STAR - INDIAN NAVY's STEALTH FRIGATE INS SHIVALIK An IDC Report |
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New Delhi, 05 May 2010
INS
SHIVALIK - the stealthy attacker! With the commissioning of the Navy's stealth frigate INS Shivalik, a new milestone was achieved in the indigenous warship design and construction capabilities in the country. It is surely a feather in the caps of the Design Directorate of the Navy and Mazagon Dock Limited. The initial indigenous design was developed by the Navy's Design Directorate and the detailed design/drawings/manufacture was undertaken by M/s Mazagon Dock Limited at Mumbai. The concept of stealth ships is based on the principles of making the detection, identification and engagement of targets more difficult. Stealth technology was first mooted in the early fifties and has been successfully employed in strategic bombers like B-52s and more recently in the deadly armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Basically the technology ensures that the ship is impervious to enemy radar detection, has a low sound trail, thus making it difficult to detect and track by enemy submarines and has IR suppressors to present a low infrared (IR) signature so that it cannot be detected by infra red sensors. A formidable array of anti-surfce, anti-submarine and anti-aircraft weapons makes it a stealthy attacker against surface, under water and air targets as well as capacity to attack inland targets. Main features of the ship are given in the Table below. Launched on 18 April 2003 the ship was commissioned on 29 April 2010 and is fully operational. Our earlier report on the ships characteristics and launching may be seen here.
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