Navy to commission INS Kavaratti, an indigenously-built warfare stealth corvette tomorrow

Like its predecessors, the new corvette does not have air defence systems than the close-in weapons deployed on board and the Navy is looking at getting new Short Range Air Defence System.

File photo of INS Kavaratti | Indian Navy

New Delhi: The last of four indigenously-built Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) stealth corvettes (warships), INS Kavaratti, will be commissioned into the Indian Navy in combat-ready status Thursday.

The deployment comes with the force remaining on full operational alert amid tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

“It is noteworthy that the ship will be commissioned as a combat-ready platform as the ship has completed sea trials of all the systems fitted onboard,” the Navy said in its statement Wednesday.

Built under Project 28 (Kamorta class), Kavaratti takes its name from the erstwhile INS Kavaratti which was an Arnala class missile corvette and had taken part in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.

The new vessel is scheduled to be commissioned into the Indian Navy by Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane at the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam.

Navy looking to buy short-range surface-to-air missile systems

Interestingly, the vessel, like its predecessors, does not have proper air defence systems except for the close-in weapons.

The Navy is also looking to buy short-range surface-to-air missile (SRSAM) systems to be deployed on the Kamorta class corvettes.

Plans are afoot to buy these SRSAM systems for the four vessels and the deal will include about 150-odd missiles, and a Request for Proposal (RFP) under the ‘Buy (Global)’ category was issued last year.

The ‘Buy (Global)’ category refers to an outright purchase of equipment from foreign or Indian vendors. In the case of procurement from foreign vendors, the government-to-government route may be adopted.

Each SRSAM system will have a command and control system, a two-way data link and a launcher for a particular number of missiles.

It is hoped that once this contract is signed, new generation missile vessels and corvettes will be equipped with the same system. The state-run Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO), however, is also working on its own indigenous systems.

INS Kavaratti has up to 90 per cent indigenous content

INS Kavaratti, which is touted as a potent stealth ASW corvette, has been indigenously designed by the Indian Navy’s in-house organisation — the Directorate of Naval Design (DND) — and built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata.

The INS Kavaratti has up to 90 percent indigenous content and carbon composites for its superstructure. The ship’s weapons-sensor suite is predominantly indigenous and showcases India’s growing capability in this niche area, the Navy’s statement further said.

Measuring 110 meters in length, 14 meters in breadth and displacing 3,500 tonnes, the ship can achieve a speed of 25 knots. It is fitted with anti-submarine rockets and torpedoes, medium and close-in weapon systems and the indigenous surveillance radar ‘Revathi’. The ship is also capable of carrying an integral ASW helicopter.

Kavaratti has the latest weapons and sensor suite capable of detecting and prosecuting submarines. The ship also has a credible self-defense capability and good endurance for long-range deployments.

The first vessel of this class was commissioned on 23 August 2014, followed by another one on 7 January 2016. The third vessel was commissioned on 16 October 2017.