Indian Navy’s Fourth Anti-Submarine Warfare Corvette Launched

Indian Navy’s fourth Anti-Submarine Warfare Corvette, Kavaratti, being built by Garden Reach Ship Builders and Engineers (GRSE) has been launched by wife of Minister of State for Defense, Inderjit Rao in Kolkata today.

Of the other three ships of the same class, INS Kamrota was delivered to the navy in 2014. Kadmatt and Kiltan are scheduled to be delivered between 2015 and 2017. All the four ASW class stealth corvettes are built under project 28.

Kavaratti, a 3,300 ton corvette can reach a speed of over 25 knots. It has a X-shaped hull, full beam superstructure and infrared signature suppression (IRSS) system to increase the stealth feature.

The corvette is 90 per cent indigenous and is equipped to fight in nuclear, biological and chemical warfare conditions.

The contract for construction of four ships was signed in June 2012 at an estimated cost of US $1.2 billion (INR 7,800 crore).