Y12705 (Mormugao), the second ship of Project 15B stealth guided missile destroyers built at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), was delivered to the Indian Navy on November 24, this year. The contract for four ships of the project 15B was signed on January 28, 2011. This Project is a follow-on of the Kolkata class (Project 15A) destroyers commissioned in the last decade and the lead ship of the Project - INS Visakhapatnam has already been commissioned into the Indian Navy on November 21, 2021.

Designed by the Warship Design Bureau, Indian Navy’s in-house organisation; and built by M/s Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd, Mumbai; the four ships of the Project are christened after major cities from all four corners of the country, namely. Visakhapatnam, Mormugao, Imphal and Surat.

The keel of Mormugao was laid in June 2015 and the ship was launched on September 21, 2016. The design has largely maintained the hull form, propulsion machinery, many platform equipment and major weapons & sensors as the Kolkata class to benefit from series production.

The ship is 163 metres long and 17 metres wide, displaces 7400 tonnes when fully loaded and has a maximum speed of 30 knots. Apart from myriad indigenous equipment in the ‘Float’ and ‘Move’ categories, the destroyer is also installed with under-mentioned major indigenous weapons. The overall indigenous content of the project is approximately 75 per cent. The ship carries the following warheads -

(a) Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missiles (BEL, Bangalore)
(b) BrahMos Surface-to-Surface Missiles (BrahMos Aerospace, New Delhi)
(c) Indigenous Torpedo Tube Launchers (Larsen & Toubro, Mumbai)
(d) Anti-Submarine Indigenous Rocket Launchers (Larsen & Toubro, Mumbai)
(e) 76mm Super Rapid Gun Mount (BHEL, Haridwar)

The ship had sailed out for her maiden sea sortie on December 19, 2021 to coincide with the Goa Liberation Day and the ship has now been delivered. The delivery of Mormugao is an affirmation of the impetus being given by the Government of India and the Indian Navy towards ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ as part of celebration of the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’. The early induction of the destroyer, almost 03 months prior to the contractual date, despite the COVID challenges, is a tribute to the collaborative efforts of large number of stake holders and would enhance the maritime prowess of the country in the Indian Ocean Region.

Also the Indian Navy’s guided missile stealth frigate, INS Trikand, offshore patrol vessel, INS Sumitra, and Maritime Patrol Aircraft, (MPA) Dornier, participated in the 13th Edition of the Indian Navy (IN) - Royal Navy of Oman (RNO) bilateral exercise ‘Naseem Al Bahr’ (Sea Breeze).

The exercise was conducted from 19 to 24 Nov 22 off the coast of Oman and had three phases: harbour phase, sea phase and debrief. Activities undertaken during the harbour phase included professional interactions between IN and RNO operations teams and friendly sports fixtures between the two navies. IN Ships Trikand and Sumitra, along with RNO Ships Al Shinas and Al Seeb, sailed for the sea phase. IN - MPA Dornier, RNO MPA and shore based RAFO fighter aircraft Hawks joined the exercise at sea.

The sea phase included tactical maritime exercise involving surface action, air defence, maritime surveillance and interdiction/VBSS. These operations helped in strengthening interoperability as well as enhancing understanding of each other’s procedures. The last phase of exercise, debrief, was conducted at the RNO Naval Base at Duqm on November 23, 2022.

India and Oman have traditionally enjoyed warm and friendly relations, sharing common cultural values. Naval exercises have added strength and substance to these bilateral ties. The first IN-RNO exercise was conducted in 1993. This year marks 30 years of IN-RNO bilateral exercises.
INS Trikand, a frontline frigate, is equipped with a versatile range of weapons and sensors. The ship is a part of the Indian Navy’s Western Fleet, based at Mumbai. INS Sumitra, a multirole offshore patrol vessel is part of the Eastern Fleet of the Indian Navy, based at Visakhapatnam.