India's Next Guided Missile Destroyer to be commissioned on Sept 30

NEW DELHI: India's latest stealth destroyer, INS Kochi, will be commissioned into Navy later this month by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.
Built by Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL), the new ship is part of the Kolkata-class (Project 15A) guided missile destroyers. The first ship of the class, INS Kolkata, was commissioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year.

Parrikar is scheduled to commission the ship on September 30. Another ship, INS Chennai, is currently under production. These are the largest indigenously-built destroyer warships. The government had approved the construction of three Kolkata-class destroyers in May 2000.
Conceptualised by Indian Navy, Kolkata-class is a follow-on model of the Delhi-class and is fitted with modern weapons and sensor systems. The propulsion system of Delhi-class was also retained with minor upgrades. Most of the systems integrated in the ships are designed and built in India.
The destroyers are equipped with action information system and atmospheric control system. The modern stealth destroyers will demonstrate superior anti-surface warfare capabilities and anti-submarine capabilities.
The Navy had in February this year successfully test-fired the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from INS Kolkata during Tropex exercise conducted in the Arabian Sea.
The 290-km range conventional missile hit its target with pinpoint accuracy during this first-ever vertical launch.
INS Kolkata is also scheduled to fire a long-range surface-to-air missile (LR-SAM) later this year. Called Barak 8, the missile is being jointly developed by India and Israel.

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INS Dega to have Mig 29 squadron

Naval Air Station INS Dega that presently has the only Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT) squadron in the country will also have a MiG-29 K squadron. “We intend to have it in place in the next two years and the creation of infrastructure has begun,” says Commanding Officer of INS Dega Capt. D Bhattacharya. Once it happens besides AJTs, pilots would also be trained on MiGs.

The Hawk Mk-132 craft were inducted forming the AJT squadron in November, 2013. It is the Hawks flying that accounts for the morning roar over the skies in the city.
The MiG squadron is expected to be launched once aircraft carrier Vikrant to be based at the Eastern Naval Command is commissioned in 2018. There are also plans to develop a sister airfield at Bobbili where a World War II airfield with two abandoned runways exists.
It will be developed as a diversifying airfield to meet contingencies like bad weather or runway-related problems in Vizag, says Capt Bhattacharya. The additional back-up is required with the number of assets increasing while Dega will remain the main base. Besides, INS Dega is a joint user airfield with civilian aircraft operating and the Navy offering operational support.
INS Dega presently has about 40 craft training pilots.
The Dega air station was abuzz with activity on Thursday with Kamov, Dornier, Chetak, UH 3H, Hawk Mk 132 and the pilot-less target Lakshya on display.

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China declares India's Oil exploration in South China Sea illegal

China is consolidating its  authority over the international South China Sea by declaring it controls international waters off the coast of independent Vietnam.

“India’s intention to once again explore for oil in the disputed waters of the South China Sea is an unwise move, as it will further complicate the maritime disputes and do a disservice to maintaining the positive momentum that has been achieved in China-India ties,” declared the state-run China Daily, as translated by the Times of India.
“The Indian company should be told: Without the permission from the Chinese government, activities conducted by any foreign company in these disputed waters are illegal,” the editorial continued. The search is “illegal,” said China’s government. The Indian-owned oil company should “rethink its oil exploration plans,” China threatened.
Actually, India’s oil “exploration” is in partnership with Vietnam and has progressed far enough for the Indians to begin preparations for moving an oil platform into the area. Want China Times of Taiwan notes that the deal between an Indian company and Vietnam’s state-run PetroVietnam was signed three years before China opened international bidding on exploration of the waters under its control.
China is rapidly extending its naval force into the South China Sea, partly by building new islands with airbases. The ocean floor is believed to contain much oil and gas, and the nearby countries—China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Indonesia,and Japan—are arguing over which parts of the large sea are owned by each neighboring country.
Under President Barack Obama, the U.S. and the U.S. Navy is doing little to slow or deter the Chinese expansion. Instead, U.S. foreign policy has been focused on trying to make Israel sign a peace deal with hostile neighbors.
The Times of India recalled that India has previously argued constructive economic activity should have no impact on the South China Sea territorial dispute. But the China Daily sweeps that argument aside: “New Delhi may deem its oil exploration activities in the South China Sea purely economic in nature. But, considering the already existing tensions in the South China Sea, New Delhi’s move will only aggravate the situation.”
The Indian government is advised by China Daily’s editors to “avoid taking missteps that may sabotage the good development of their ties” with China.
The Chinese editorial also took some time to fulminate against “the meddling of outside forces, such as the United States.”
The Indians may also be irritated by Chinese adventures in the Indian Ocean, which the Chinese military recently warned India to stop thinking of as its “backyard,” lest “clashes” break out.

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How INS Arihant could be a game changer in the region?

New Delhi: The indigenous nuclear submarine INS Arihant is set to be launched for sea trials in a "month or two" and it will test-fire the submarine-launched nuclear capable ballistic missile BO-5, DRDO said today.

The nuclear reactor on board the INS Arihant was activated last year in August taking it closer towards sea trials after which the vessel would be inducted into operational service in the Navy.

"Arihant is going through the power-up cycle (in its nuclear reactor). It is the first time that we are doing the power-up cycle on a nuclear submarine. So, we are very cautious and going step by step. It will take a month or two more before it goes to the sea (for trials)," DRDO chief Avinash Chander told PTI.
He was asked about the present status of the indigenous nuclear submarine programme under which at least three Arihant-Class nuclear underwater vessels would be built for the Navy.

"During the trial phase, the Arihant will testfire the fully-developed BO-5 missile as part of the sea trials," he said.
Once inducted, the submarine will help the country complete its nuclear triad giving it the capability to respond to nuclear strikes from sea, land and air-based systems.
Nuclear triad is the ability to fire nuclear-tipped missiles from land, air and sea-based weapon platforms.
INS Arihant has been undergoing trials at Navy's key submarine base in Vishakhapatnam and has cleared most of its harbour acceptance trials.
The medium-range nuclear missile BO-5 has a range of over 700km-range.
The nuclear submarine will help India achieve the capability of going into high seas without the need to surface the vessel for a long duration.

Conventional diesel-electric submarines have to come up on surface at regular intervals for charging the cells of the vessel.

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Features of Indian Latest Warship : A stealth Destroyer

Indian Navy’s new destroyer, Visakhapatnam, with enhanced capability to operate in nuclear, biological and chemical atmosphere, will be launched in Mumbai on Sunday. Indian Navy’s new destroyer, Visakhapatnam, with enhanced capability to operate in nuclear, biological and chemical atmosphere, will be launched in Mumbai on Sunday. The ship is the first of the four follow follow-up order of the Kolkata class warships and will give a major flip to India’s maritime capabilities when it is inducted in 2018. Ahead of its launch, here are a few facts about the stealth destroyer. 1) The ship, named Visakhapatnam (Project 15 B), a stealth destroyer, is 65 per cent indigenous and has a number of weapon systems which have been made at home. 2) At 7,300 tonnes, Visakhapatnam will be the largest destroyer commissioned by the Indian Navy and will be equipped with the Israeli Multi Function Surveillance Threat Alert Radar. 3) The ship will be carrying 8 BrahMos missiles. 4) Navy officials said the Visakhapatnam is likely to be inducted in the Indian Navy by 2018. 5) The Visakhapatnam will be armed with a 127 mm main gun while the INS Kolkata has a 76mm Super Rapid Gun Mount. 6) She is equipped with a Ship Data Network, an Automatic Power Management System and a Combat Management System. Essentially, all information critical for the operation of the warship during all operations is available to key officers through the SDN which the Navy describes as a data information highway. 7) These ships are amongst the most technologically advanced Guided Missile Destroyers of the world, with state of the art weapon/sensor package, advanced stealth features and a high degree of automation. 8) With a displacement of 7,300 tonnes, each ship will be spanning 163 metres in length and 17.4 meters at the beam. It will be propelled by four gas turbines in Combined Gas and Gas configuration. 9) The ships are capable of achieving speeds in excess of 30 knots and have maximum endurance of 4000 nm at economical speed of 14 knots. 10) The destroyers incorporate new design concepts for improved survivability, sea keeping, stealth and ship manoeuvrability. These ships will be equipped to carry and operate two multiple role helicopters. 11) These ships have been designed for a complement of 50 officers and 250 sailors. 12) The ship’s fire power consists of sophisticated weapons-sensor suite including vertically launch capable Surface to Air and Surface-to-Surface Missiles for long distance engagement of shore and sea based targets.

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