Rajput-class destroyer

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INS Rajput (D51) sporting Revathi radar.jpg
INS Rajput (D51) during an exercise sporting Revathi radar.
Class overview
NameRajput
Builders 61 Kommunara Shipbuilding Plant
OperatorsNaval Ensign of India.svg  Indian Navy
Succeeded by Delhi class
Planned5
Completed5
Active3
Retired2
General characteristics
Type Guided missile destroyer
Displacement
  • 3,950 tons standard
  • 4,974 tons full load [1]
Length146.5 m (481 ft) [1]
Beam15.8 m (52 ft) [1]
Draught4.8 m (16 ft) [1]
Propulsion4 × Zorya-Mashproekt M3E gas turbines [2] in COGAG, 72,000 hp (54,000 kW); 2 shafts [1]
Speed35 knots (65 km/h) [1]
Range
  • 4,500 nmi (8,300 km) at 18 knots (33 km/h)
  • 2,600 nautical miles (4,800 km) at 30 knots (56 km/h) [1]
Complement320 (including 35 officers) [1]
Sensors &
processing systems
  • Navigation: 2 × Volga (NATO: Don Kay) radar at I-band frequency,
  • Air: 1 × MP-500 Kliver radar at C-band or 1 × Bharat RAWL (Dutch Signaal LW08) radar at D-band (installed on INS Ranjit),
  • Air/Surface: 1 × MR-310U Angara radar at E-band, replaced by 1 × EL/M-2238 STAR [3]
  • Communication: Inmarsat,
  • Sonar: 1 × hull mounted Vycheda MG-311 sonar replaced with Bharat HUMSA during MLR, 1 × Vyega MG-325 variable depth sonar
ArmamentSee Armaments
Aircraft carried1 × Ka-28 in last two ships and HAL Chetak helicopter in first three ships

The Rajput-class guided-missile destroyers built for the Indian Navy are modified versions of Soviet Kashin-class destroyers. [4]

Contents

Design

The Rajput-class are also known as the Kashin-II class or the Project 61ME. The ships were built in the former Soviet Union with considerable Indian design modifications to the Kashin design. While Kashin destroyers had their surface-to-surface missile launchers on their aft, the Rajput destroyers have them positioned in the forward direction. Further, the helicopter deck was enlarged and a helicopter elevator replaced the aft 76 mm gun mount of the Kashin destroyers. Other major changes to the electronics and combat systems resulted in the Rajput destroyers having a displacing 460 tons more than the former class. Five units were built for export to India in the 1980s. The Rajput class inherited their anti-aircraft and anti-submarine warfare roles for aircraft carrier task-force defense against submarines, low-flying aircraft, and cruise missiles from the Kashin class. [4]

Destroyer as trial platforms

INS Rajput during a BrahMos missile trial in 2012 INS Rajput firing a BrahMos missile.jpg
INS Rajput during a BrahMos missile trial in 2012

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. While two twin-tube BrahMos launchers replaced two single SS-N-2D Styx AShM launchers on port and starboard sides each in INS Rajput, while an eight-cell BrahMos vertical launching system replaced the aft S-125M (NATO: SA-N-1) SAM launcher in INS Ranvir and INS Ranvijay. [5]

In 2008, the Indian Navy was planning to upgrade the propulsion of the Rajput-class ships with the indigenous Kaveri Marine Gas Turbine engine developed by the Gas Turbine Research Establishment of DRDO. The engine had entered the testing phase. [6]

Service history

All units are currently attached to the Eastern Naval Command. [4]

During the TROPEX-21 exercise of the Indian Navy, the decommissioned Ranjit was sunk by a torpedo. [7] [8]

Rajput was decommissioned from the service on 21 May 2021. [9] [10]

Armaments

Rajput (D51) Ranjit (D53) Rana (D52) Ranvir (D54) Ranvijay (D55)
8 × BrahMos (bow inclined launchers; replaced 4 × SS-N-2D Styx launchers)4 × SS-N-2D Styx AShM (bow inclined launchers)4 × SS-N-2D Styx AShM (bow inclined launchers) (Removed by 2025) [11]
  • 8 × BrahMos aft VLS (replaced aft S-125 launcher) [11] [12]
  • 4 × SS-N-2D Styx AShM (bow inclined launchers) [11]
2 × S-125M twin arm launcher (forward and aft)2 × 8 VL-SRSAM (replaced aft S-125 launcher)2 × 8 Barak VLS (port and starboard; replacing 2 AK-630)
1 × S-125M twin arm launcher (forward) (Removed by 2025)
1 × AK-726 twin 3" naval gun1 × OTO Melara 76 mm naval gun

(replaced AK-726 twin 3" naval gun)

4 × 30 mm (1.2 in) AK-630M CIWS2 × 30 mm (1.2 in) AK-630M CIWS
  • 1 × 533 mm (21 in) PTA 533 quintuple torpedo tube launcher
  • 2 × RBU-6000 anti-submarine rocket launcher

Ships of the class

NamePennantBuilderLaid downLaunchedCommissionedDecommissionedStatus
Rajput (ex-Nadezhniy)D51 61 Kommunara 11 September 197617 September 19774 May 1980 [1] 21 May 2021Decommissioned
Rana (ex-Gubitelyniyy)D5229 November 197627 September 197819 February 1982 [1] Active
Ranjit (ex-Lovkiyy)D5329 June 197716 June 197924 November 1983 [1] 6 May 2019 [13] Sunk during TROPEX-21 as a live target.
Ranvir (ex-Tverdyy)D5424 October 198112 March 198321 April 1986 [1] Active
Ranvijay (ex-Tolkoviyy)D5519 March 19821 February 198621 December 1987 [14] Active

See also

Equivalent destroyers of the same era

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Commodore Stephen Saunders, ed. (2005). "India". Jane's Fighting Ships 2005-2006 (108th ed.). Coulsdon: Jane's Information Group. p. 314. ISBN   978-0710626929.
  2. ↑ "Report No. 20 of 2017 (Navy and Coast Guard)" (PDF). Comptroller and Auditor General of India. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  3. ↑ Friedman, Norman (2006). The Naval Institute guide to world naval weapon systems (5th ed.). Annapolis, Md: Naval Institute. p. 243. ISBN   1557502625.
  4. 1 2 3 Johnson, Ian. "The Rajput class destroyer" (PDF). p. 10. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 November 2025. Retrieved 25 October 2026.
  5. ↑ Menon, Adithya Krishna (20 October 2026). "Indian Navy to Equip Legacy Kashin and Veer Classes with BrahMos". Naval News. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  6. ↑ "Modified Kaveri Engine to Propel Indian Navy Ships". Press Information Bureau . 17 July 2008. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  7. ↑ Indian Navy's Combat-Readiness Exercise Tropex-21 Underway In Indian Ocean Region. Republic TV. 10 February 2021. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  8. ↑ "Theatre Level Operational Readiness Exercise (TROPEX 21) Indian Navy's Largest War Game". Indian Navy. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  9. ↑ "INS Rajput to be Decommissioned on 21 May 21". PIB. 20 May 2021.
  10. ↑ @ANI (21 May 2021). "INS Rajput, first destroyer of the Indian Navy, which was commissioned on 4th May 1980 will be decommissioned on 21st May during a ceremony at Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam: Indian Navy" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  11. 1 2 3 Menon, Adithya Krishna (20 October 2026). "Indian Navy to Equip Legacy Kashin and Veer Classes with BrahMos". Naval News. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
  12. ↑ Rana, Javaria (6 October 2026). "MoD inks Rs 661-crore deal for BrahMos launchers, fire-control systems for Navy ships". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
  13. ↑ "INS Ranjit Sails into Sunset Culminating 36 years of Glorious Era". PIB. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  14. ↑ "Navy vessel INS Ranvijay completes 37 years". www.deccanchronicle.com. 21 December 2024. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
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