Indian Navy’s stealth destroyer launched

April 20, 2015 03:51 pm | Updated April 21, 2015 12:22 am IST - Mumbai

Women would be seen in combat role in the defence forces when the time is ripe, Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral R. K. Dhowan said here on Monday. He was interacting with the media after the launch of Visakhapatnam, India’s first destroyer of Project 15B class, at Mazgaon Docks Limited here. He said the Indian Navy was closely monitoring any threat perception including the increased collaboration between the Pakistani and Chinese Navy in the Indian Ocean region.

“I am not undermining the capability of women officers. Women play an important role in the Navy. They play an outstanding role in different arenas. But we are taking one step at a time. We are looking at it (including women officers in combat roles) seriously.

Visakhapatnam was launched by Minu Dhowan, wife of Admiral R. K. Dhowan. It is to be commissioned in 2018, and has indigenous component of over 70 per cent. It has been made of Indian Steel manufactured by the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL). The warship’s propulsion system will be from Russia.

Indigenous focus

Admiral Dhowan said the aim was to increase the indigenous component in the coming years. “At present, there are 48 ships and submarines under construction in various public and private shipyards in India,” he said.

“For indigenisation, there are three segments — one is float segment where we have achieved more than 90 per cent indigenisation; the other is move segment which consists of the propulsion system where we have attained over 60 per cent indigenisation; and the third is fight segment which consists of weapons and sensors. We need to work on this as the level of indigenisation is 30 to 40 per cent,” he said.

On the increased collaboration between the Pakistani and Chinese Navies, he said the Indian Navy looked at all aspects of threat perception.

Rear Admiral R K Shrawat, Chairperson and Managing Director of Mazgaon Docks, said that the dock’s Value of Production (VoP) is a whopping Rs. 3,500 crore, which is 22 per cent higher than last year.

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