INS Imphal, India's first warship named after a northeastern state, commissioned

INS Imphal, the Indian Navy's latest stealth-guided missile destroyer was commissioned today at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai. The move is aimed at boosting the navy's maritime capability amid China's increasing forays into the Indian Ocean region. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was the Chief Guest at the event.

Noteworthy is that INS Imphal is the first warship to have been named after a city from the Northeastern region, the approval for which was accorded by the President in April 2019.

The naming of the ship after the capital city of Manipur underlines the importance of the Northeastern region for national security and prosperity.

A guided missile destroyer with a displacement of 7,400 tonnes and overall length of 164 meters, Imphal is a potent and versatile platform equipped with state-of-the-art weapons and sensors, including surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship missiles and torpedoes.

Powered by Combined Gas and Gas (COGAG) propulsion, the ship is capable of achieving speeds in excess of 30 knots (56 km/hour).

The ship boasts of a high indigenous content of approximately 75 per cent that includes BrahMos surface-to-surface missiles, medium-range surface-to-air missiles, anti-submarine indigenous rocket launchers and 76mm super rapid gun mount.

INS Imphal was delivered to the Indian Navy on October 20 after the completion of a rigorous and comprehensive trial programme both in the harbour and at sea.

Subsequently, the ship successfully test-fired the extended-range supersonic BrahMos missile last month, a first for any indigenous warship before commissioning.

Following this milestone, the ship's crest was unveiled by Defence Minister Singh in New Delhi in the presence of the chief minister of Manipur.

Upon commissioning, INS Imphal will join the Western Naval Command.