INS ''Kochi'' (D64) is the second ship of the stealth guided-missile destroyers built under the code name ''Project 15A'' 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 sig ...

. She was constructed by

Mazagon Dock Limited Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) (IAST: ''Majhagānv Dawk Limiṭeḍ''), formerly called Mazagon Dock Limited, is a shipyard situated in Mazagaon, Mumbai. It manufactures warships and submarines for the Indian Navy and offshore platform ...

(MDL) in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

. After undergoing extensive sea trials, she was commissioned to Indian Navy service on 30 September 2015.

Construction

The

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...

of ''Kochi'' was laid on 25 October 2005. In keeping with the tradition of the Navy, the warship was launched by Madhulika Verma, wife of Chief of Naval Staff,

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

Nirmal Kumar Verma Admiral Nirmal Kumar Verma (born 14 November 1950) is a former senior naval officer who served as the Chief of the Naval Staff of Indian Navy, from 31 August 2009 to 31 August 2012. In November 2012, he was appointed as the High Commissioner ...

, at 11.20 a.m. 18 September 2009 from the Mazagon Dock in

. For the first time, Mazagon Docks used a "pontoon assisted" launching method in collaboration with the Russian firm Baltiysky Zavod. Under this method, pontoons are welded to the hull, which give buoyancy and helps overcome tidal constraints. Mazagon plans to use this method for all future ship launches, as the process makes it possible to launch ships with much higher weight.

Weapon trials

On 1 November 2015, the Navy successfully test-fired the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from ''Kochi''. The missile hit its target, a decommissioned ship called INS ''Alleppey'', with almost pinpoint accuracy during this first-ever vertical launch from the 7,500-tonne ''Kochi''. On 16 May and 29 November 2017, the Navy successfully test fired the Barak 8 missiles from ''Kochi''.

Cooperative Engagement Capability through Joint Taskforce Coordination (JTC) mode

On 15 May 2019, INS ''Chennai'' along with INS ''Kochi'' participated in the maiden cooperative engagement firing through the employment of the full Joint Taskforce Coordination (JTC) mode which implements the MRSAM / Barak 8 ‘Cooperative Engagement’ operating mode.

Design

At the time of its commissioning, INS ''Kochi'' was the largest India-made warship. The warship is designed by the Navy's in-house organisation, Directorate of Naval Design. It has displacement of 7,500 tons and it is in length and at the

beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...

and is propelled by four gas turbines and designed to achieve speeds in excess of . The ship has built with advanced stealth features which have been achieved through shaping of hull and use of radar-transparent deck fittings. A bow mounted sonar dome, the second of its kind in an indigenous naval platform, has been introduced to enhance sonar acoustic performance. The ship has a complement of about 40 officers and 350 sailors.

Naval exercises

INS ''Kochi'' participated in the 'Zayed Talwar 2021' bilateral exercise with the

United Arab Emirates Navy The United Arab Emirates Navy is the naval branch of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces. It is small force of about 3,000 personnel. It maintains 12 well-equipped coastal patrol boats and eight missile boats. Although primarily concerned w ...

's Baynunah-class guided missile corvette UAES Al-Dhafra on 7 August 2021, off the coast of

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area. ...

. The ships undertook tactical manoeuvres, Over the Horizon Targeting,

Search and Rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

and

Electronic Warfare Electronic warfare (EW) is any action involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum (EM spectrum) or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy assaults. The purpose of electronic warfare is to deny the opponen ...

exercises, with extensive use of helicopters. Less than a week later, ''Kochi'' arrived at

Al Jubail AL, Al, Ål or al may stand for: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Al (''Aladdin'') or Aladdin, the main character in Disney's ''Aladdin'' media * Al (''EastEnders''), a minor character in the British soap opera * Al (''Fullmetal ...

for the Indian Navy's maiden naval exercise with the

Royal Saudi Navy The Royal Saudi Navy ( ar, البَحْريَّة الْمَلكيَّة السُّعُودِيَّة, Al-Quwwat al-Bahriyah al-Arabiyah as-Su'udiyah) or Royal Saudi Naval Forces ( ar, القُوَّات البَحْريَّة الْمَلك� ...

, 'Al-Mohed Al-Hindi'. The drill was meant for deeper understanding of each other’s operational practices.

References

External links

Kolkata class Kolkata class destroyer @ Bharat-Rakshak.com

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kochi Kolkata-class destroyers Destroyers of the Indian Navy 2009 ships Ships built in India