Delhi class destroyer
Encyclopedia
The Delhi class destroyers are guided-missile destroyers of the Indian Navy
. Three ships of this class are in active service.
The Delhi class vessels are the largest warships to be fully designed and built in India
, although they will soon be superseded by the Kolkata class destroyer
s and the Vikrant class aircraft carriers. They were built at Mazagon Dock Limited in Mumbai
.
The Delhi class has both Soviet and Western design influences, incorporating elements of the Sovremenny class destroyer
, the Rajput class
(Kashin-II
) destroyer, and the Godavari
class frigate.
These vessels are fully fitted with flag facilities. The Delhi class is also capable of operating in a NBC environment. Radar cross-section reduction is presumed to be minimal, to the extent that some sharp angles have been flattened.
In the main air defence role, a pair of 2 3S-90 launchers - one installed forward of the bridge and the other atop the dual helicopter hangar - are fitted with the Shtil SAM system. The Shtil system consists of the Russian Shtil missile and 24 such missiles are carried in a below-decks magazine. The launchers elevate up to 70º but have a limited firing arc of 30º within the centreline. The launcher groups require a crew of 20 men and weigh about 50 tons.
The Delhi class is being upgraded with the Rafael Barak
point air defence missile system, which overcomes the limited firing arc of the Shtil system. It has an eight-cell vertical launch system and the missile command-to-line-of-sight (CLOS) radar guidance with a range from 500m to 10 km. The missile's maximum range is 32 km. The ship has a surveillance capacity of over 350 km and can sterilise an area of 250 km.
The ships also have a quadruple 533mm torpedo launcher, which can also be used to launch SS-N-15 'Starfish' or possibly SS-N-16 'Stallion' ASW missiles, so is capable of hitting targets ranging from 50 km to 120 km. It is also equipped with two RBU-6000 anti-submarine rocket launchers with 12 tubes. Their range is 6 km and the maximum engagement depth is 500m.
Each ship can support two helicopter
s, the Sea King
or the HAL Dhruv
. The Sea King helicopters are equipped with a Super Searcher radar and primarily used in air surveillance and anti-submarine roles. The helicopters are capable of flying four and half hours non-stop. The HAL Dhruv
helicopters are primarily for utility roles. The INS Delhi has a crew of approximately 30 officers and 350 sailors.
The ships are equipped with four chaff launch systems and the BEL
Ajanta radar interceptor. The TQN-2 jamming system is supplied by the Italian company, Elettronica. The ship's hull mounted active search sonar capability is based on the TSM2633 by Thales Underwater Systems or the APSOH by Bharat. The Delhi Class also has a variable depth sonar, Model 15-750 developed and manufactured in India by Indal and Garden Reach.
Indian Navy
The Indian Navy is the naval branch of the armed forces of India. The President of India serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff , usually a four-star officer in the rank of Admiral, commands the Navy...
. Three ships of this class are in active service.
The Delhi class vessels are the largest warships to be fully designed and built in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, although they will soon be superseded by the Kolkata class destroyer
Kolkata class destroyer
The Kolkata class of guided-missile destroyers of the Indian Navy were conceptualized under Project 15A, and include land-attack capability as well as some signature reduction features. Three ships of the class are being built at Mazagon Dock Limited . The first vessel is expected to join the fleet...
s and the Vikrant class aircraft carriers. They were built at Mazagon Dock Limited in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
.
Development
The development of the ship began as Project 15 in 1977. The ships were designed indigenously and built by Mazagon Docks Limited (MDL) at a cost of Rs 7 Billion each.The Delhi class has both Soviet and Western design influences, incorporating elements of the Sovremenny class destroyer
Sovremenny class destroyer
The Sovremenny class destroyer is the principal anti-surface warship of the Russian Navy. Soviet designation for the class was Project 956 Sarych ....
, the Rajput class
Rajput class destroyer
The Rajput class guided-missile destroyers built for the Indian Navy are modified versions of Soviet Kashin class destroyers. They are also known as Kashin-II class. The ships were built in the former Soviet Union after considerable Indian design modifications to the Kashin design...
(Kashin-II
Kashin class destroyer
The Kashin class destroyers were a group of guided missile destroyers built for the Soviet Navy in the 1960s and early 1970s. Their Soviet designation was Project 61...
) destroyer, and the Godavari
Godavari Class Frigate
The Godavari class frigates are guided-missile frigates of the Indian Navy. The Godavari class was the first significant indigenous warship design and development initiative of the Indian Navy...
class frigate.
These vessels are fully fitted with flag facilities. The Delhi class is also capable of operating in a NBC environment. Radar cross-section reduction is presumed to be minimal, to the extent that some sharp angles have been flattened.
In the main air defence role, a pair of 2 3S-90 launchers - one installed forward of the bridge and the other atop the dual helicopter hangar - are fitted with the Shtil SAM system. The Shtil system consists of the Russian Shtil missile and 24 such missiles are carried in a below-decks magazine. The launchers elevate up to 70º but have a limited firing arc of 30º within the centreline. The launcher groups require a crew of 20 men and weigh about 50 tons.
The Delhi class is being upgraded with the Rafael Barak
Barak SAM
Barak is an Israeli surface-to-air missile designed to be used as a point-defense missile system on warships, defending against aircraft, anti-ship missiles, and UAVs.-Barak I:...
point air defence missile system, which overcomes the limited firing arc of the Shtil system. It has an eight-cell vertical launch system and the missile command-to-line-of-sight (CLOS) radar guidance with a range from 500m to 10 km. The missile's maximum range is 32 km. The ship has a surveillance capacity of over 350 km and can sterilise an area of 250 km.
The ships also have a quadruple 533mm torpedo launcher, which can also be used to launch SS-N-15 'Starfish' or possibly SS-N-16 'Stallion' ASW missiles, so is capable of hitting targets ranging from 50 km to 120 km. It is also equipped with two RBU-6000 anti-submarine rocket launchers with 12 tubes. Their range is 6 km and the maximum engagement depth is 500m.
Each ship can support two helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
s, the Sea King
Westland Sea King
The Westland WS-61 Sea King is a British licence-built version of the American Sikorsky S-61 helicopter of the same name, built by Westland Helicopters. The aircraft differs considerably from the American version, with Rolls-Royce Gnome engines , British made anti-submarine warfare systems and a...
or the HAL Dhruv
HAL Dhruv
The HAL Dhruv is a utility helicopter developed and manufactured by India's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited . Dhruv was first announced in November 1984. The ALH was designed with assistance from MBB in Germany. The Dhruv first flew in 1992; but, due to the changing demands of the Indian Army and...
. The Sea King helicopters are equipped with a Super Searcher radar and primarily used in air surveillance and anti-submarine roles. The helicopters are capable of flying four and half hours non-stop. The HAL Dhruv
HAL Dhruv
The HAL Dhruv is a utility helicopter developed and manufactured by India's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited . Dhruv was first announced in November 1984. The ALH was designed with assistance from MBB in Germany. The Dhruv first flew in 1992; but, due to the changing demands of the Indian Army and...
helicopters are primarily for utility roles. The INS Delhi has a crew of approximately 30 officers and 350 sailors.
The ships are equipped with four chaff launch systems and the BEL
Bharat Electronics Limited
Bharat Electronics Limited is a state-owned electronics company with about nine factories, and few regional offices in India. It is owned by the Indian Government & primarily manufactures advanced electronic products for the Indian Armed Forces.BEL is one of the eight PSUs under Ministry of...
Ajanta radar interceptor. The TQN-2 jamming system is supplied by the Italian company, Elettronica. The ship's hull mounted active search sonar capability is based on the TSM2633 by Thales Underwater Systems or the APSOH by Bharat. The Delhi Class also has a variable depth sonar, Model 15-750 developed and manufactured in India by Indal and Garden Reach.
Ships of the class
Name | Pennant | Builder | Commissioned | Status |
INS Delhi INS Delhi (D61) INS Delhi is the lead ship of her class of guided-missile destroyers of the Indian Navy. She was built at the Mazagon Dock Limited in Mumbai and commissioned on 15 November 1997. This class is among the largest warships to be designed and built in India.INS Delhi is the second vessel of the Indian... |
D61 - C1 | Mazagon Dock Limited | 15 November 1997 | Active |
INS Mysore INS Mysore (D60) INS Mysore is a Delhi-class guided-missile destroyer currently in active service with the Indian Navy.-History:INS Mysore was built at Mazagon Dock Limited in Mumbai. Her keel was laid down in February 1991 and she was launched on 4 June 1993... |
D60 - C2 | Mazagon Dock Limited | 02 June 1999 | Active |
INS Mumbai INS Mumbai (D62) The INS Mumbai is the third of the Delhi-class guided-missile destroyers in active-service with the Indian Navy.Mumbai was built at Mazagon Dock Limited in her namesake city Mumbai, launched in 1995, and commissioned in 2001.... |
D62 - C3 | Mazagon Dock Limited | 22 January 2001 | Active |
External links
- Project 15 Delhi Class Guided Missile Destroyer at indian-military.org
- Delhi Class Destroyer - Bharat Rakshak
- globalsecurity.org page on the Delhi class