The ''Rajput''-class

guided-missile destroyer A guided-missile destroyer (DDG) is a destroyer whose primary armament is guided missiles so they can provide anti-aircraft warfare screening for the fleet. The NATO standard designation for these vessels is DDG, while destroyers who have a prim ...

s built for the

Indian Navy The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates si ...

are modified versions of

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...

s. They are also known as Kashin-II class. The ships were built in the former Soviet Union after considerable Indian design modifications to the Kashin design. These included the replacement of the

helicopter pad A helipad is a landing area or platform for helicopters and powered lift aircraft. While helicopters and powered lift aircraft are able to operate on a variety of relatively flat surfaces, a fabricated helipad provides a clearly marked hard ...

in the original design with a flight elevator, as well as major changes to the electronics and combat systems. Five units were built for export to India in the 1980s. All units are currently attached to the Eastern Naval Command.

Service history

The ''Rajput'' class inherited their anti-aircraft and

anti-submarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are t ...

roles for aircraft carrier task-force defense against submarines, low-flying aircraft, and cruise missiles from the Kashin class. They were the first ships in the Indian Navy to deploy the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile systems. The systems were deployed during a mid-life refit of the ships. The missile system has four missiles in inclined bow mounted launchers replacing two SS-N-2D Styx AShM launchers in and eight cell VLS system replacing aft S-125M (NATO: SA-N-1) SAM launcher in and . ''Ranvijay'' was deployed with an updated vertical launcher for the BrahMos missile. The Indian Navy is planning to upgrade the propulsion of the ''Rajput''-class ships with indigenously developed Kaveri Marine Gas Turbine (KMGT) engine. The

Gas Turbine Research Establishment Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) is a laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Located in Bengaluru, its primary function is research and development of aero gas-turbines for military aircraft. As a spin- ...

of DRDO has been developing this engine which is currently in testing phase. During TROPEX-21 exercise of the

, the decommissioned ''Ranjit'' was sunk by a torpedo. was decommissioned from the service on 21 May 2021.

Ships of the class

References

External links

Rajput class destroyer - Bharat-Rakshak.com
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{{Ship classes of the Indian Navy Destroyer classes India–Soviet Union relations Destroyers of the Soviet Union Destroyers of India

Service history

Ships of the class

See also

References

External links