Stealth corvette INS Kavaratti commissioned into Indian Navy

New Delhi: Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj Mukund Naravane on Thursday commissioned the last of four indigenously built Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) stealth corvettes -- INS Kavaratti -- into the Indian Navy.

The event under Covid-19 protocols was held at the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam.

With the induction of INS Kavaratti into its fold, the Indian Navy’s preparedness has been further enhanced.

The formal commissioning ceremony began with the hoisting of the Naval Ensign for the first time.

INS Kavaratti built under Project 28 (Kamorta Class) is a potent stealth ASW corvette designed by the Indian Navy's in-house organization – the Directorate of Naval Design -- and built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata.

‘Project 28 was officially sanctioned in 2003. Under this plan threes ships -- INS Kamorta, INS Kadmatt and INS Kiltan – have been commissioned in 204, 206 and 2017 respectively.

An official release said that the corvette portrays the growing capability of the Indian Navy, GRSE and the nation in becoming self-reliant through indigenization, thus, accentuating our national objective of Atmanirbhar Bharat.

The ship was commissioned into the Indian Navy as a combat-ready platform as it has already completed sea trials of all the systems fitted onboard.

The official statement termed the commissioning of the ship into the Indian Navy as a praiseworthy achievement, taking into consideration the restrictions imposed due to ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. 

Here are some of the key highlights of the corvette:

• Kavaratti takes her name from erstwhile INS Kavaratti which was an Arnala class missile corvette and played a pivotal role in support of operations during Bangladesh's liberation in 1971.

• The ship has up to 90 per cent indigenous content and the use of carbon composites for the superstructure is a commendable feat achieved in Indian shipbuilding.

• The ship’s weapons and sensors suite is predominantly indigenous and showcases the nation’s growing capability in this niche area.

• It has state-of-the-art weapons and sensor suite capable of detecting and prosecuting submarines. 

• Apart from its anti-submarine warfare capability, the ship also has a credible self-defence capability and good endurance for long-range deployments.