INS Visakhapatnam
Ship
INS Visakhapatnam
⚓ ShipLead ship of the Visakhapatnam-class stealth guided-missile destroyers, commissioned in 2021.
INS Visakhapatnam (D66) is the lead ship of the Visakhapatnam-class — India's most advanced stealth guided-missile destroyers. Commissioned on 21 November 2021 by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, she is one of the largest and most capable destroyers ever built in India, constructed entirely at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Mumbai under the Navy's Project 15B.
The ship's design features a stealthy slab-sided hull with a sharply raked bow, reducing her radar cross-section dramatically compared to older destroyers. Over 75% of the ship's content is indigenous, making her a flagship achievement of the "Make in India" programme.
Commissioning & Firsts
Visakhapatnam was delivered to the Indian Navy on 28 October 2021 and formally commissioned on 21 November 2021. On 11 January 2022, she successfully fired an advanced variant of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile in sea-to-sea mode, validating extended range and new software upgrades — making headlines as India's newest destroyer demonstrating full combat readiness within weeks of commissioning.
Armament
| Weapon System | Details |
|---|---|
| BrahMos Cruise Missiles | 16 missiles in 2 × 8-cell VLS — supersonic, 290–500 km range |
| Barak 8 / MR-SAM | 32 surface-to-air missiles in 4 × 8-cell VLS for area air defence |
| OTO Melara 76mm Gun | 120 rounds/min, dual-purpose anti-air and anti-surface |
| AK-630M CIWS | 4 × 30 mm Gatling cannons, 5,000 rounds/min, last-ditch missile defence |
| Torpedo Tubes | 4 × 533 mm for heavyweight anti-submarine torpedoes |
| RBU-6000 | 2 × 12-barrel anti-submarine rocket launchers |
| Helicopters | 2 × Sikorsky MH-60R multi-role naval helicopters |
Sensors & Electronics
The ship is equipped with the IAI EL/M-2248 MF-STAR Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) multi-function radar — capable of tracking hundreds of targets simultaneously. Additional systems include the Thales LW-08 air-search radar, BEL HUMSA-NG hull-mounted sonar, and Nagin active towed array sonar for deep anti-submarine warfare.
General Characteristics
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Type | Guided-missile destroyer (Project 15B) |
| Builder | Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders, Mumbai |
| Commissioned | 21 November 2021 |
| Displacement | 7,400 tonnes (full load) |
| Length | 163 m (535 ft) |
| Beam | 17.4 m (57 ft) |
| Draft | 6.5 m (21 ft) |
| Speed | 30+ knots (56 km/h) |
| Range | 8,000 nautical miles at 18 knots |
| Complement | ~300 (50 officers + 250 sailors) |
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