The P28 anti-submarine warfare corvette at sea trials

New Delhi, July 11: An anti-submarine vessel that the government claims is the “first fully indigenously built major warship” is scheduled to slide off the rails in a dockyard in Calcutta tomorrow to be handed over to the navy.

The P28 Kamorta, an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) corvette built by the Calcutta-headquartered defence public sector unit Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), will join the navy’s Vizag-based eastern fleet after it is commissioned on August 23.

The navy is also expected to commission the INS Kolkata destroyer, built at the Mazgaon docks in Mumbai, later this month.

The INS Kamorta is the first of four ASW corvettes built by the GRSE for Rs 7852.39 crore. The ships have been designed by the navy. Each is described as a “super-sophisticated frontline warship” with 90 per cent indigenous content.

INS Kamorta is also the first naval warship built in the country with special grade high-tensile steel produced by public sector unit SAIL. Sensors and weapons mounted on the hull have been made by Indian public and private enterprises, say navy sources.

“With a unique hull-form, stealth features, state-of-the-art weaponry and integrated systems, Kamorta is designed to operate in the multiple threat environment,” a statement from the shipbuilders said.

The Kamorta has taken eight years in the making since its keel was laid on November 20, 2006. It is 110m long and displaces about 3,400 tonnes with four diesel engines. It has a maximum speed of 25 knots. The ship carries an anti-submarine warfare helicopter. It will be manned by 13 officers and 176 sailors.

Its array of weapons includes heavy weight torpedoes, ASW rockets, 76mm medium range gun and two guns as close-in-weapon system (CIWS).