The Indian Navy on Saturday launched an advanced indigenously built guided-missile destroyer, Mormugao, in Mumbai, reported PTI. Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba, who was present when the vessel was released into the Arabian Sea, said the stealth destroyer was at par with the best vessels in the world.
The vessel was built by Centre-owned Mazgaon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd in the financial capital of the country. The government plans to build four more similar vessels between 2020-2024. The vessel belongs to Visakhapatnam class of ships commissioned under the ministry's Project 15B.
The warship can sail at a maximum speed of over 30 knots, while it has a displacement of around 7,300 tonnes (the ship's weight). The vessel is equipped with surface-to-surface missiles, surface-to-air missiles and anti-submarine rocket launchers. It can also carry two anti-submarine warfare helicopters.
Admiral Lanba said, "This ship secures the sea in a better way. Contract for this ship was signed on January 2011. It can be compared with best ships in the world and has been developed by our own designers at DRDO as well as other government agencies and private companies." According to him, the vessel also contributes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Make in India drive beacuse it is indigenously built.
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