The Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition & Conference (DIMDEX) is reputed as one of the leading events on the international defense and security industry calendar. On this occasion, the Indian Navy showcases the Kolkata-class destroyer Kolkata.
Indian Navy's Kolkata-class destroyer Kolkata (Picture source: Navy Recognition)
INS Kolkata is the lead ship of the Kolkata-class stealth guided-missile destroyers of the Indian Navy. She was constructed at Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) and was officially commissioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a ceremony held on 16 August 2014.
The "Kolkata class" (Project 15A) is a class of stealth-guided missile destroyers constructed for the Indian Navy. The class comprises three ships – Kolkata, Kochi, and Chennai.
The class has a length of 163 m (534 ft 9 in), a beam of 17.4 m (57 ft 1 in), and a draught of 6.5 m (21 ft 4 in). The ship's power and propulsion feature a combined gas and gas system utilizing four DT-59 reversible gas turbines.
This configuration allows the ship to reach speeds in excess of 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph). Aviation facilities include a large flight deck, which was re-designed to handle larger helicopters than the Delhi class, and an enclosed hangar for up to two maritime helicopters.
The ship's main air-defense armament is composed of four eight-cell vertical launching systems (VLS) allowing for up to thirty-two Barak 8 / MRSAM air defense missiles.
