INS Kavaratti: The Silent Submarine Killer in the Seas

INS Kavaratti, the anti-submarine warfare stealth corvette, will soon be added to the Navy’s arsenal, giving India’s maritime force much- needed firepower.

Rear Admiral VK Saxena, the chairman and managing director of the Kolkata-based Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), which is building the corvettes, told news agency PTI that all trials of the ship had been successfully completed and the delivery was fixed for the end of this month.

Kavaratti is the 104th ship to be built by the GRSE, Saxena said.

So what makes the Kamorta-class Kavaratti a significant addition to India’s Navy?
A silent, stealthy sub-destroyer

Kavaratti is the fourth Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) stealth corvette built under the so-called Project 28 by the GRSE.

The four corvettes — INS Kamorta, Kadmatt, Kiltan and Kavaratti — were initially sanctioned for Rs 2,700 crore but have ended up costing Rs 7,000 crore.

But the Navy is not complaining.

The corvettes can seek and destroy enemy submarines using torpedoes. Also, the manufacturer has lowered the radar reflectivity of the corvettes, thus making them harder to detect.

ASW tech has evolved over the decades. As newer subs become quieter, ASW sensing tech also needs to be bettered in every successive generation. Accordingly, corvettes that hunt subs have also become harder to detect.

Advanced militaries such as the US deploy ASW systems that are based on three pillars — intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. Anti-sub warfare is no longer thought of as stand-alone weapon systems but depends on a network of ships, other subs and planes.

Designed by the Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design, the Kavaratti has advanced stealth features that boost its anti-submarine capabilities. The ship is expected to have 17 officers and more than a hundred sailors.

The ship has a displacement of 3,300 tonnes and its carbon composite structure is integrated seamlessly with the hull through indigenous tech developed by the GRSE.

This composite superstructure makes its lighter, and enhances its manoeuvrability and speed.

Because of the new tech, the warship, with 90 per cent indigenous components, requires lower maintenance.

Kamorta, the first of the four ASW corvettes, was delivered to the Navy in July 2014. This was followed by Kadmatt, delivered in November 2015. The last to be delivered was Kiltan, in October 2017.

All the four corvettes under Project 28 have been named after islands in the Lakshadweep archipelago.

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Source : PTI

Image Courtesy: Rediff

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