20.5.09

INS Airavat


The Indian Navy’s fighting prowess has received a big boost with the arrival of one of the biggest warships INS Airavat even as the Navy top brass has confirmed that 32 warships and six submarines will be added to its fleet in the coming years.Chief of naval staff admiral Sureesh Mehta on Tuesday commissioned Airavat, the fifth indigenously-built landing ship tank, into the naval fleet at the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) base in Vishakapatnam.. The warship can carry 10 main battle tanks, 11 combat trucks and 500 troops and has a considerable range and endurance on sea.“Besides undertaking amphibious operations, the ship is a potent assault platform capable of operating both Sea King and Dhruv helicopters,” a naval official said. Airavat is also fitted with two indigenous rocket launchers to support its amphibious operations.The massive ship was formally handed over to the Navy in Kolkata on March 30 this year. “To thwart enemy attacks, Airavat has been upgraded with weapon sensors and indigenous radar systems,” a spokesperson said. With an enhanced weapons package, latest control systems and excellent habitability conditions, Airavat steals a march, he said. Naval sources said the warship also has soft-kill ability through chaff rockets which could be used to clutter the sensory inputs of an incoming energy aircraft or missile. “The ship is also fitted with remote propulsion control, battle damage control and automated power management systems,” a source said. Airavat also has advanced fireresistant mechanisms and can act as a fleet tanker. According to the Navy, the ship can be effectively used for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions during natural calamities like cyclones and earthquakes. “It can operate independently on the high seas for as long as 45 days,” an official said. Meanwhile, Mehta said the Navy would build six submarines and more warships using indigenous technology by 2012. However, the Navy’s present rate of induction of three to four ships a year is inadequate to maintain its desired force levels, he said.

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