INS Mormugao

Mormugao during delivery to the Indian Navy
History
India
Name	INS Mormugao
Namesake	Mormugao
Operator	Indian Navy
Builder	Mazagon Dock Limited
Way number	D67
Laid down	4 June 2015
Launched	17 September 2016
Acquired	24 November 2022
Commissioned	18 December 2022
Identification	Pennant number: D67
Motto	सागरे विनाशकः - Destroyer In Sea
Status	Active
General characteristics
Type	Guided missile destroyer
Displacement	7,400 t (7,300 long tons; 8,200 short tons) [1]
Length	163 m (535 ft)
Beam	17.4 m (57 ft)
Draft	6.5 m (21 ft)
Propulsion	CODAG [2] 2 x Zorya M36E gas turbines, with 4 × DT-59 reversible gas turbines and 2 × RG-54 gearboxes 2 × Bergen/GRSE KVM-diesel engines, 9,900 hp (7,400 kW) each 4 × 1 MWe Wärtsilä WCM-1000 generator sets driving Cummins KTA50G3 engines and Kirloskar 1 MV AC generators
Speed	In excess of 30 knots (56 km/h)
Range	8,000 nautical miles (15,000 km; 9,200 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) [3]
Endurance	45 days
Boats & landing craft carried	4 x RHIB
Crew	300 (50 officers + 250 sailors)
Sensors & processing systems	Radar :- IAI EL/M-2248 MF-STAR S-Band AESA radar BEL RAWL-02/LW-08 L-Band air-search radar Terma/Tata Scanter-6002 X-Band surface-search radar Sonar :- BEL HUMSA-NG active/passive sonar BEL "Nagin" active towed-array sonar Combat Suite :- "Combat Management System" (CMS)
Electronic warfare & decoys	DRDO "Shakti" EW suite (equipped with ESM/ECM and "Radar Finger Printing System" (RFPS)) DRDO "Nayan" COMINT suite Decoys :- 4 x Kavach decoy launchers 2 x Maareech torpedo-countermeasure systems
Armament	Anti-air warfare :- 4 × 8-cell VLS, for a total of 32 Barak 8 surface-to-air missiles Anti-surface warfare :- 2 x 8-cell VLS, for 16 BrahMos anti-ship missiles Anti-submarine warfare :- 4 × 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes 2 × RBU-6000 anti-submarine rocket launchers Guns :- 1 × OTO Melara 76 mm naval gun 4 x AK-630M CIWS 2 x OFT 12.7 mm M2 Stabilized Remote Controlled Gun
Aircraft carried	2 × HAL Dhruv (or) Sea King Mk. 42B
Aviation facilities	Enclosed helicopter hangar and flight deck capable of accommodating two multi-role helicopters.
Notes	Modified derivative of the Kolkata-class destroyer. [4]

INS Mormugao is the second ship of the Visakhapatnam-class stealth guided-missile destroyers of the Indian Navy. She was built at Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL), and was launched on 17 September 2016. The ship was commissioned on 18 December 2022. ^[5] She is named after the port city of Mormugao in Goa. ^[6]

Construction

The keel of Mormugao was laid down on 4 June 2015, and she was launched on 17 September 2016 at Mazagon Dock Limited of Mumbai. ^{[7] [8] [9] [10]}

Mormugao completed its basin trials on 15 December 2021 and started its maiden sea trials on 19 December 2021 commemorating the Goa Liberation Day. ^{[11] [12]} The ship was commissioned on 18 December 2022. ^[13] The commissioning commanding officer is Captain Kapil Bhatia, VSM. ^[14]

Service history

On 14 May 2023, Mormugao successfully fired an advanced variant of Brahmos missile. ^[15] In December 2023, Mormugao was deployed to the Arabian Sea along with INS Kochi and INS Kolkata to protect commercial shipping after an attack on a tanker transporting oil from Saudi Arabia to Mangalore. ^[16]

Operation Sankalp: 2023–2024 anti-piracy patrols

Main article: Operation Sankalp

Against the backdrop of the increasing attacks on commercial ships transiting the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Arabian Sea by the end of 2023, the Indian Navy on 31 December 2023 said it had substantially enhanced maritime surveillance efforts in Central and North Arabian Sea and "augmented force levels" by primarily deploying the P-8I Neptune maritime patrol aircraft and the SeaGuardian drones, ^[17] after two merchant vessels, MV Ruen and MV Chem Pluto, were targeted in the sea. Ruen was hijacked (later rescued by sister ship Kolkata) while Chem Pluto sustained drone hits eventually and making way to port, The Indian Navy deployed a large flotilla of destroyers to safeguard international security . The deployment into the Arabian Sea included the Navy's missile destroyers such as Kolkata, Kochi, Mormugao, INS Chennai and INS Visakhapatnam, ^[18] virtually all of its modern destroyer force of its western fleet. Mormugao was deployed in the west Arabian Sea. ^[19]

Clemenceau 25

See also: French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle § Clemenceau 25

Mormugao joined the French Carrier Strike Group (CSG) centered on the Charles de Gaulle and her escort ships and fleet support ship during their departure from Goa and Kochi for the next phase of Mission Clemenceau 25 in the Indian and Pacific oceans. She participated in joint navigational drills and Maritime Partnership Exercise. The drill included combat manoeuvres and cross-deck helicopter deployment with the Forbin followed by replenishment by logistics support ship Jacques Chevallier. Simultaneously, Su-30MKI and Jaguar aircraft of the Indian Air Force also conducted joint anti-aircraft drills with Rafale M aircraft of the French Navy. ^{[20] [21]}

Exercise Konkan 2025

See also: UK Carrier Strike Group § Carrier Strike Group 25 (Operation Highmast)

INS Vikrant (R11) and its Carrier Battle Group (CBG), including Mormugaon, took part in the biennial Exercise Konkan 2025 with the Royal Navy's UK Carrier Strike Group 2025 (UK CSG 25), a formation centred on HMS Prince of Wales (R09), between 5 and 12 October 2025 off the Western Coast of India. This is the maiden instance of a dual carrier operation between the countries. ^{[22] [23] [24]} While the UK CSG included HMS Richmond (F239) and RFA Tidespring (A136) along with HNoMS Roald Amundsen (F311) of the Royal Norwegian Navy and JS Akebono (DD-108) of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, ^[25] the Indian Navy's CBG included INS Kolkata (D63), INS Surat (D69), INS Tabar (F44), INS Teg (F45) and INS Deepak (A50). ^{[26] [27]} The 2021 edition, named Konkan Shakti, was the largest exercise in the series in which all three services of both countries participated. On 8 October, the Indian Air Force deployed its Su-30MKI and Jaguar aircraft for a one-day exercise with the group. ^{[28] [23] [24]}

Gallery

• 
  Mormugao floats on her own post launch
• 
  Mormugao, second indigenous stealth destroyer of the P15B class during maiden sortie.

See also

• Delhi-class destroyer
• Kolkata-class destroyer

References

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2. "Project 15B Guided Missile Destroyers, Mazagon Dock Limited".
3. Shukla, Ajay (21 April 2015). "INS Visakhapatnam shows growing Indian ability to build warships economically". Business Standard. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
4. "Project 15B Guided Missile Destroyers".
5. "Navy's Most Advanced Guided Missile Destroyer "Mormugao" launched in mumbai". NDTV. 17 September 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
6. "New Navy destroyer to be named after Goa port". 24 August 2016. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021.
7. "Russia to help India build 4 guided-missile destroyers". Indrus. 18 April 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
8. "Project 15B". Global Security. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
9. Sheshrao, Vishnudas (15 April 2015). "Indigenously built warship ready for launch". freepressjournal. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
10. "Navy's Next Destroyer Line Christened Visakhapatnam-class, 1st Launch Next Week". LiveFist defence. 15 April 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
11. "MORMUGAO, INDIAN NAVY'S SECOND SHIP OF THE PROJECT 15B, SAILS FOR MAIDEN SEA TRIALS ON GOA LIBERATION DAY" (Press release). PIB. 19 December 2021.
12. "Basin trials of Second ship of P15B" (PDF). Mazagon Dock. 15 December 2021.
13. "Rajnath Singh commissions missile destroyer INS Mormugao into Indian Navy". India Today. 18 December 2022.
14. "Indian Navy commissions INS Mormugao - Stealth Guided-Missile Destroyer". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
15. "BrahMos supersonic missile firing from INS Mormugao hits 'bull's eye'". India Today. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
16. "India deploys three warships to Arabian Sea after attack on tanker". BBC News. 26 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
17. Peri, Dinakar (31 December 2023). "Attacks on ships: Indian Navy enhances surveillance in Arabian Sea". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 5 January 2024.
18. "Indian Navy deploys warships and surveillance aircraft to enhance maritime security - The New Indian Express". www.newindianexpress.com. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
19. "Indian Navy deploys warships and surveillance aircraft to enhance maritime security - The New Indian Express". www.newindianexpress.com. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
20. "French Navy Conducts Air-Sea Tactical Manoeuvres With Indian Navy". www.ndtv.com. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
21. "Kochi: Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, French Navy participate in Maritime Partnership Exercise". The Economic Times. 10 January 2025. ISSN   0013-0389 . Retrieved 14 January 2025.
22. "Exercise Konkan - 2025 commences on the Western Seaboard" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 5 October 2025. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
23. "UK Carrier Strike Group strengthens partnership with India" (Press release). UK Government. 6 October 2025. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
24. "U.K. and India launch historic Carrier Strike Group Exercise Konkan". The Hindu. 5 October 2025. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 5 October 2025.
25. Redacción (7 October 2025). "For the first time, the aircraft carriers HMS Prince of Wales and INS Vikrant of the UK and Indian navies trained together in the Indian Ocean". Zona Militar. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
26. Mahadzir, Dzirhan (7 October 2025). "U.K., Indian Navy Carrier Strike Groups Conduct First Ever Dual Carrier Operations". USNI News. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
27. "The UK's Carrier Strike Group forms up with the Indian Navy and Japanese ship Akebono". Defence Imagery. 6 October 2025. Archived from the original on 8 October 2025. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
28. "Royal Navy Carrier Strike Group leaves the Pacific and begins exercise with Indian Navy". Navy Lookout. 8 October 2025. Retrieved 8 October 2025.