Kamorta, a super-sophisticated
frontline warship with stealth features is readying to sail out from the GRSE FOJ
to join the Indian Navy's Eastern Fleet in its role as Indian Navy's newest
submarine hunter/killer.
Known earlier by its GRSE 'Yard-3017'
nomenclature where the keel was first laid and launched in 2010, the sturdy warship
Kamorta is the first in its class of four ASW corvettes being built under
Project-28 (P28) for the Indian Navy.
ASW corvettes Kadmatt,
Kiltan and Kavaratti are to follow suit progressively. The lethal quartet will bring
to easy recall names of the four islands in Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshwadeep
archipelago after which they are named.
They will be feared
platforms for lurking enemy submarines and possibly their nemesis too when
detected lurking in our territorial waters. They would also be deployed as
advance screen for the Carrier Battle Group to counter any submarine threat to
the force.Clearly, the rules of the
game below sea-level are set to change drastically with no room for enemy
submarines to manouevre.
Meanwhile, Kamorta's designated
Captain -- Commander Manoj Jha -- and the ship's company (officers and sailors)
are meticulously carrying out checks of all systems and equipment onboard including
the crucial gas-leak checks as per drills as the date for the formal acceptance
of the warship from GRSE draws closer.
The formal acceptance will
take place in a ceremony -- D-448 Handing/taking Over -- later this month. The
warship is slated to be commissioned by Indian Navy at Vishakhapatnam in July
2014, where significantly a nuclear submarine - Arihant - is also being built
indigenously.
Shaping
a Builder's Navy - Realising a vision in self-reliance
The ASW corvette brings to
fruition a significant project in India's pursuit for self-reliance in
indigenous warship building, bringing closer home Indian Navy's quest to be a 'Builder's
Navy' as well as a true 'Blue-water Navy' with ships and submarines designed
and built within the country.
ASW corvette project was
conceived with indigenous design effort in the year 2005, which was followed by
evolvement of detailed design ab-initio by GRSE in succeeding years. The
equipment fit of the ship comprises of large number of state-of-the-art
equipment which are being installed on a naval warship for the first time.
Designed by ‘Directorate of
Naval Design’ (DND), the successful construction of ASW corvettes with advanced
stealth features also bears testimony to Indian Navy's growing capabilities in
designing state-of-the-art naval combatants comparable with the best in the
world. Stealth capabilities in the ASW
corvettes have been designed by featuring the full-beam superstructure with
contemporary ‘X-form’ and optimally-sloped surfaces to reduce RCS (radar cross
section) signature.
The ship’s hull form has
been made highly efficient for excellent sea-keeping and manoeuverability. The
ship has an overall length of 109 meters and is nearly 13 metres wide at its
maximum bulge. The hull of the ship is
built with special grade high-tensile steel (DMR249A) developed by Indian Navy
and procured from SAIL (Steel Authority of India) for which GRSE trained its
team of welders to achieve conditions of near zero-rejection state. This grade of steel is being
used for the first time on any indigenously built naval ship making the ship
very cost effective, fuel-efficient, powerful and well suited for the service
intended.
With an approximate
displacement of 3400 tonnes, the ships can achieve a maximum speed of 25 knots.
Powered by four indigenously designed 3888 KW diesel engines at 1050 rpm, the
ship can cover nearly 3,500 nautical miles at 18 knots.
Each ship would be manned by
14 officers and 150 sailors. Ergonomy and crew comfort in manning equipment
onboard has remained a focus area. Further, the ship has a modern galley
(kitchen) for ship’s company.
With about 90 per cent of
the ship being indigenous, P28 corvettes introduce many features for the first
time in any naval warship. Many of these features bear testimony to commendable
indigenization efforts undertaken by Indian Navy jointly with Indian industries
for furthering our self-reliance in warship building capability.
Among the many firsts, the ASW
corvette incorporates a state-of-art low-noise CODAD (combined diesel and
diesel) propulsion system with hydraulic coupling between main engines and
gearbox. Two controllable pitch
propellers driven by two raft-mounted gear boxes are capable of twin output or
single output as required. This mechanism reduces underwater noise making
detection of the ship by hostile underwater threats extremely difficult.
The four engines are mounted
on the rafts - two on each - for driving the propellers. Indigenously developed
IRSS (infrared signature suppression system) devices are fitted in engine
exhaust for reducing infra-red signatures enabling it to stealthily operate.
With reverse osmosis plant
for freshwater generation, sewage treatment plant with vacuum toilet facilities
totally compliant with International Maritime Organization regulations, the
warship measures up to all stringent regulatory needs to operate across oceans
of the world.The ship is also provided
with an operator friendly TAC (total atmospheric control) system for high
combat readiness with improved habitability and features a fully
air-conditioned modular type accommodation. Electrical power for the
ship is generated by four diesel-engine sets powering to 3 MW connected with
the ship’s network ensuring 100 percent redundancy at all times.
The ship is also fitted with
sophisticated, indigenously made stabilizing systems. The propulsion as well as
the power generation systems with damage control system is enveloped by an 'Integrated
Platform Management System' for achieving a superior state of control and
integration.
Equipped with an 'Integrated
Bridge System', operational watch-keeping needs have been given a high priority
in its design with optimal space availability for other watch-related
activities.The ship is also fitted with
latest communication systems and navigational aids. 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.
The weapon suite of the ship
is formidable and will be capable of engaging ships, aircraft and shore targets
besides having astounding anti-submarine capability. It will be the first
warship armed with an indigenous rocket launcher for ASW warfare, while also
being the first warship armed with trainable chaff launcher (Kavach).
The weapons and sensors
include fire-control radar, surface-to-air missiles, close-in weapon system, medium-range
gun system, surveillance radar, chaff system for counter-measures against enemy
radars and missiles, torpedo launcher, anti-submarine rocket launchers, EW
system, combat management system and advanced sonar system.
These multi-performance
features will also provide effective naval gunfire support during amphibious
operations.
The ship is also capable of
deploying a helicopter, adding considerable punch to the ship’s anti-submarine
capability. With a foldable hangar door fitted for the first time with a
rail-less helicopter traversing system fitted -- also a noteworthy first on any
naval ship -- helicopter operations from the corvette decks will have a
significant edge over existing platforms of other warships.
GRSE
now a DPSU role model
Currently
engaged with projects worth 10,000 Crores and credited with an 'Excellent' MoU
rating for last three years, GRSE manufactures a wide range of high-tech modern
warships and hovercraft including frigates, corvettes, ASW corvettes, landing
ship tank, fleet replenishment tankers, landing craft utility ships, survey
vessels, water-jet fast attack craft and interceptor boats.
Much
to the dismay of the mandarins at Delhi till not so long ago, GRSE was once
touted as an example of how a DPSU should not be. Besotted with labour problems
among other things, GRSE began to be the pariah of sorts. But remarkably, GRSE
has managed to overhaul both its relevance and stature by being among the
profit-making DPSUs since 2006.
Former National Security
Advisor and currently West Bengal Governor, Shri MK Narayanan, while speaking at
GRSE Raising Day on April 19, stated: "I am well-aware of many facets of
its (GRSE) functioning. Today, it is a flourishing ‘Mini Ratna’ with Category-1
status. There was, however, a time when many of us in Delhi had written off the
GRSE, treating it as a hopeless case in view of the many problems – specially
labour troubles -- which plagued the unit leading to prolonged work stoppages.
The GRSE was then seen as
the kind of role model that a Defence PSU should not be. Today, thanks to the
approach and attitude of workers, officers and specially the dynamism of more
recent Chairman/Managing Directors, the situation has been completely
transformed. It is today the model or a Defence PSU that every other PSU –
whether in the Defence or non-Defence sector – should emulate."
GRSE turnover has since tripled
in a little over five years, thus reflecting the healthy growth of the
undertaking. GRSE now boasts of a strong shipbuilding division which includes
design and manufacturing sub-divisions, and is perhaps the only Defence
shipyard in the country which has its own engineering division.
The successful handing over
the first P28 ASW corvette to the Indian Navy within this fortnight will surely
bolster GRSE's growing stature as a major warship builder not just within India
but also on the global stage.
एक टिप्पणी भेजें