Indian Navy Commissions INS Imphal, 1st Warship To Be Named After Northeast City

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh attended the commissioning ceremony at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai.

INS Imphal is the first ship to be named after a city in north-east India and got approval for the same from the President in 2019.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint/Indian Navy)

Video Producer: Jaspreet Singh

Video Editor: Mohd Irshad Alam, Prajjwal Kumar

The Indian Navy on Tuesday, 26 December, commissioned INS Imphal, an indigenously-built stealth-guided missile destroyer, at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

"The induction of 'INS Imphal' into the Indian Navy shows India's self-reliance in the defence sector. This reflects the commitment of MDL and Navy towards national security, and the hard work, and dedication of all stakeholders involved in its creation. I truly believe that the commissioning of INS Imphal will strengthen the Indian Navy," Singh said during the event.

INS Imphal

INS Imphal

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh with Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar, Western Naval Command Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Vice Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi and others during the ceremony.

The warship is all set to join the Western Naval Command. It had been delivered to the Navy on 20 October after completing a thorough trial programme both at harbour and at sea.

INS Imphal is the first ship to be named after a city in north-east India and got approval for the same from the President in 2019.

"INS Imphal will not only tackle physical threats that emanate at or from the seas, but more importantly, through the demonstrated strength of an integrated Bharat, she will deter nefarious designs, trying to subvert our national unity...Even as we speak, we have four destroyers of 15 Alpha and Bravo class deployed to counter piracy and drone attacks on merchant shipping," Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar said at the commissioning ceremony on Tuesday.

All You Need To Know About INS Imphal

1. INS Imphal is a vessel with state-of-the-art weapons and sensors. These include surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship missiles, and torpedoes.

2. It measures 163 metres in length, weighs 7,400 tonnes and has 75 percent indigenous content, and is one of the most potent warships to have been constructed in the country.

3. Imphal is equipped with a modern surveillance radar, which enables the gunnery weapon systems of the ship to acquire target data.

4. It is also equipped with BrahMos surface-to-surface missiles and can achieve speeds of over 30 knots or 56 km per hour.

5. The warship was constructed by Mazagon Dock Limited in Mumbai.