INS Imphal - Details, Meaning, Features, And Project 15B

Indian Navy, in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, will commission its latest stealth guided missile destroyer, Imphal, from the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai on December 26. The latest destroyer's commission will signal the formal entrance of the third of four 'Visakhapatnam' class destroyers into the Navy. This destroyer was designed in-house by the Indian Navy's Warship Design Bureau and built by Mumbai-based Mazagon Dock Limited.

About INS Imphal

• The INS Imphal is a stealth-guided missile destroyer ship developed for the Indian Navy by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL). 
• It is the third indigenous stealth destroyer in India's Project 15B class. 
• The top speed is 30 knots, the length is 163 metres, and the breadth is 17 metres.
• The Indian Navy currently operates 132 vessels, including 11 guided missile destroyers of three classes: Kolkata Class, Delhi Class, and Rajput Class. 
• In November 2023, the ship successfully tested the extended-range supersonic BrahMos missile.

Imphal- Northeast City

• INS Imphal is the first warship named after a city in the northeast. 
• The commissioning of Imphal emphasises the importance and contribution of Imphal, the state of Manipur. 
• This is an appropriate homage to Manipur's sacrifices and contributions to India's liberation movement. 
• The first two destroyers, INS Imphal and INS Mormugao, were named after cities in Northeastern India and Goa, respectively.                  

What is Project 15B?

• The Visakhapatnam-class destroyers are also known as the P-15B or P-15 Bravo class. 
• This class is an improved version of the Kolkata class in the Indian Navy's fleet.
• The indigenous destroyer Project 15B (Visakhapatnam class) is the latest in the lineage of indigenous destroyers Project 15A (Kolkata class) and Project 15 (Delhi class).
• The Indian Navy has already commissioned the Visakhapatnam and Mormugao ships which also belong to Project 15B.

Features of P-15B Class

• For securing helicopters in bad weather, it employs a "rail-less" helicopter traversing system.
• Sonar equipment is mounted on the bow rather than the hull.
• It has a network-centric design that includes the Ship Data Network (SDN), the Automatic Power Management System (APMS), and the Combat Management System (CMS).
• In comparison to preceding destroyer classes, this class has a high indigenous content (72%).
• The destroyers were named after historical and culturally significant Indian cities: Visakhapatnam, Mormugao, Imphal, and Surat.