Magar Class

Image © Mrityunjoy MazumdarImage © Mrityunjoy MazumdarINS Gharial at sea. Image © Indian NavyINS Magar can carry four LCVPs on davits. This image was taken out in October 1990 by the RAAF (Royal Australian Air Force). Image © RAAF via Jane's Info GroupINS Magar at sea. Image © 92 Wing Det., RAAF 

Vessel Type: Amphibious Warfare Vessel.

Names & Pennant Numbers with commission dates:
INS Magar L20 (15 July 1987)
INS Gharial L23 (14 February 1997)

Displacement: 5655 tons full load.

Main Machinery: Two diesel engines with 8560 hp sustained and two shafts.

Maximum Speed: 15 knots.

Maximum Range: 3000 miles at 14 knots.

Complement: 136 (incl. 16 officers).

Radar: Navigation; One Bharat 1245 radar at I-band frequency.

Military Lift: 15 tanks, plus 8 APCs, plus 500 troops.

Weapons: Four Bofors 40mm/60 guns. Also has two 122mm multiple-barrel rocket launchers in the starboard bow.

Countermeasures: ESM; Bharat Ajanta is used as intercept.

Helicopters: One Sea King Mk.42C, has a platform for two.

Comments: Based on the Sir Lancelot design. Built at Hindustan SY but fitted at the Garden Reach DY. INS Magar was refitted in 1995. Both vessels based at Vizag. Carries four LCVPs (Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel) on davits and features a bow door. Can beach on gradients 1 in 40 or more. INS Magar suffered an accidental fire which took the lives of three sailors and six others received burn injuries. The accident occurred about 40 nautical miles off the coast of Visakhapatnam, in the Bay of Bengal, at about 1700 hours on 22 February 2006. The injured personnel were evacuated by a Sea King helicopter and were admitted at the naval hospital at Visakhapatnam. The mishap occurred when the ship was engaged in dumping life-expired ammunition. Preliminary reports indicate that one of the boxes, containing life-expired powder charge, caught fire towards the end of dumping operation which resulted in the unfortunate incident. The was no serious damage to the vessel.

Veer (Tarantul I) Class

Image © Mrityunjoy MazumdarImage © Mrityunjoy MazumdarImage © Mrityunjoy MazumdarINS Prahar was the last of the P-20M equipped missile boats to have served with the Indian Navy. She was lost at sea, on 22 April 2006, following a collision with a merchant vessel. Image © Indian Navy via Kapil ChandniINS Prabal and INS Pralaya have a modern fire control system - the BEL developed Lynx. The Lynx is a major improvement over the archaic Vympel FCS of the older Tarantul boats. Image © Goa SY Ltd via R ParidaINS Pralaya seamlessly cuts through the water at high speed. Image © Goa SY Ltd via R ParidaINS Pralaya at full speed. Image © Goa SY Ltd via R ParidaINS Nirbhik fires one of her P-20M AShMs during a naval exercise. Image © Indian Navy via Kapil ChandniINS Nirbhik and INS Nipat out on a simulated naval wargame. Image © Indian Navy via Kapil ChandniA superb shot of INS Nirghat. The AK-76/60 76mm gun and a twin-tube launcher which houses the P-20M AShM can be clearly seen. Image © Vayu Aerospace ReviewA close up shot of INS Nipat. Note the No.22 on the mast, indicating she belongs to the 22 Missile Vessel Squadron. Image © Mrityunjoy MazumdarAn excellent side view of INS Vinash. Note the 'open' missile canisters. Image © Indian NavyINS Nashak and INS Vidyut lie docked at Mumbai. Note the modified cruise gas turbine exhaust stacks within the funnel of INS Nashak. Image © H&L Van GinderenAn artist's impression of how Prabal and Pralaya might appear when completed. Image © Mrityunjoy MazumdarA fairly rough 2D sketch of INS Prabal and INS Pralaya. Image © Goa SY Ltd via R ParidaCutaway of a Tarantul Class corvette

Vessel Type: Project 1241RE Missile Corvette.

Names & Pennant Numbers with Commission Dates:
INS Veer K40 (26 March 1987 at Poti, former USSR)
INS Nirbhik K41 (21 December 1987 at Poti, former USSR)
INS Nipat K42 (05 December 1988 at Poti, former USSR)
INS Nishank K43 (12 September 1989 at Poti, former USSR)
INS Nirghat K44 (15 December 1989 at Poti, former USSR)
INS Vibhuti K45 (03 June 1991 at Mazagon Dock Ltd, Mumbai)
INS Vipul K46 (16 March 1992 at Mazagon Dock Ltd, Mumbai)
INS Vinash K47 (20 November 1993 at Goa Shipyard Ltd)
INS Vidyut K48 (16 January 1995 at Goa Shipyard Ltd)
INS Nashak K83 (29 December 1996 at Mazagon Dock Ltd, Mumbai)

Note: INS Prahar K98 suffered a collision with the M V Rajiv Gandhi, a container carrier of the Shipping Corporation of India, 35 km off the coast of Goa at 9:45 p.m. on 22 April 2006. The damage to the merchant carrier was nominal, however the damage to INS Prahar led to the vessel being sunk. There was no loss of life and all personnel were safely rescued. The captain of the vessel - Lieutenant Commander Yogesh Tripathi - was dismissed from service in September 2006, after a court martial was conducted in which he confessed to committing navigational error. INS Prahar was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 01 March 1997 at Goa Shipyard Limited.

Names & Pennant Numbers with Commission Dates:
INS Prabal K92; Laid Down - 16 Feb 1998, Launched - 28 Sept 2000, Commissioned - 11 April 2002 at MDL, Mumbai.
INS Pralaya K91; Laid Down - 02 May 1998, Launched - 14 Dec 2000, Commissioned - 18 Dec 2002 at Goa SY Ltd.

Structure: Indian units were built up from plating and CKD (Completely Knocked Down) kits supplied by the Russians. Very sturdily built and surprisingly roomy, for a Russian design.

Displacement: 385 tons standard; 455 tons full load.
*Goa SY Ltd. lists 477 tons as normal displacement.
*INS Pralaya listed at 560 tons full load.

Dimensions: Length - 56.1 metres.
.................Beam - 11.5 metres.
.................Draught - 2.5 metres.

Main Machinery: M15E COGAG plant with 2 x DS71 boost gas turbines (8830 kW each) and 2 x DR76 cruise gas turbines (2900 kW each). Total output rated at 23,540 kW at ISA + 15º Celsius. Power drops to 17,420 kW at ISA + 34º Celsius.

Gearboxes: 2 x RD77 and 2 x RA76.

Electrical Capacity: 500 kW of generating capacity.

Maximum Speed: 35 - 40 knots, as per specs of Goa SY Ltd.
*INS Pralaya listed at 39 knots.

Maximum Range: 2000 miles at 20 knots.
.......................400 miles at 36 knots.

Complement: Design complement is 41 sailors (including 5 officers).
INS Prabal and INS Pralaya have a complement of 69 - 70 sailors plus 7 officers.

Radar: Air/Surface; One Garpun Bal-E (NATO: Plank Shave) radar at I-band frequency.
..........................One MR 352 Positiv-E (NATO: Cross Dome) radar fitted on K91 and K92.
.........Fire Control; Refer to 'Weapons' sub-section.
.........IFF; (NATO: Salt Pot, Square Head A).

Weapons: Four P-20M (SS-N-2D) AShMs, in two twin-tube launchers, with infra-red homing (Mod 1) to 45n miles; 83km at Mach 0.9 with a 513 kg warhead. The missile becomes a sea skimmer at the end of run. Fire control is provided by a single MR-123 (NATO: Bass Tilt) radar at H/I-band frequency. K91 and K92 carry sixteen 3M-24E (SS-N-25) AShMs with fire control being provided by a single BEL Lynx director.

One Strela-2M (SA-N-5) SAM launcher, manual aiming with infra-red homing to 3.2n miles; 6 km at Mach 1.5 with a 1.5 kg warhead. Maximum altitude is at 2500 metres (8000 feet). Possible reloads of 12 missiles.

One AK-76/60 76mm gun with 85º elevation with 120 rds/min to 8.1n miles; 15 km. In the last pair, one OTO 76mm SRGM is fitted. The CIWS comprises of two six-barrelled 30mm AK-630 gatling guns with an elevation of 85º, combined with a firepower of 3000 rounds a minute. Effective range of 2 km.

Weapons Control: Kolonka (NATO: Hood Wink) optronic director located amidships, behind mainmast.

Countermeasures: Decoys; Two PK-16 chaff launchers.
.........................ESM;
One Bharat Ajanta intercept (local modification) on some units.

Comments: Veer Class corvettes form the 22 Missile Vessel Squadron, at Mumbai. The hull is made of special, lightweight, MS and aluminium alloy sheets. INS Nirghat is the successor to the illustrious Osa-I Class fast attack missile boat which rained missiles on Karachi. The new vessel has preserved the red booster covers of the original P-15M AShMs that were lobbed at Karachi in December 1971.

An order for four modified Veer Class corvettes was placed in April 1997. This four-unit order was later drawn down to two units: one at Mazagon Dock Ltd, Mumbai and the other at Goa Shipyard Ltd. INS Prabal and INS Pralaya are a further modification of the Project 12418 design and may be referred to as the Mod 1241RE in Indian Navy service. One may also hear the name Molniya for these vessels, as it is the generic Russian name for the 1241 series of raketny kater (missile cutter) boats.

INS Prabal and INS Pralaya are quite different, in equipment, armament and appearance from their sister ships. Modified with Russian input, the weapons & sensor fit is similar to that of the Project 25A Class corvette, INS Kirch. Radars include a MR 352 Positiv-E radar, a Garpun Bal E and a BEL Lynx gunfire control radar. Armament comprises sixteen 3M-24E AShMs, the BHEL-assembled OTO 76mm Super Rapid Gun Mount (SRGM) along with two AK-630M CIWS gun mounts. The Lynx fire control system controls the twin AK-630M mounts and the 76mm OTO Melara gun. The radar has the following functions: a) Detection of surface and air targets, changeover to automatic tracking mode for selected targets and establishing it's coordinates and movement parameters; b) Working out data for firing, taking into account the target manoeuvring movement, movement of boat & ballistic correction. The EW suite appears incomplete - the characteristic radome of the Ajanta system is missing.

Structurally, these vessels also have an additional deeper deck, an extended operations room, and improved habitability. These changes have resulted in an added displacement of approximately 50 tons. Said to have a 65% indigenous content. INS Pralaya has a locally-built steering gear, propulsion shafts, air compressors, a reverse osmosis (distillation) plant, minor pumps, main switch boards, distribution board for power distribution, some valves/fittings, electrical fittings, etc. INS Pralaya is estimated to cost approximately Rs.350 crores. More of this class are planned though exact numbers are unknown presently. In 1990, MDL cancelled a study to equip the Indian-built units with a General Electric LM2500 gas turbines and two MTU diesels due to technical difficulties.

Makar Class

The Makar at sea. Image © Indian NavyThe Makar at sea. Image © Indian NavyINS Meen. Image © Indian Navy

Vessel Type: Survey Ship.

Names & Pennant Numbers with commission dates:
INS Meen J33
INS Mesh J34

Pennant Numbers with commission dates:
Makar J31 (31 January 1984) - decommissioned on 04 April 2005
Mithun J32 (31 March 1984) - decommissioned on 31 March 2007

Displacement: 210 tons full load.

Dimensions: Length - 37.5 metres
................Beam - 12.8 metres
................Draft - 3.3 metres

Maximum Speed: 12 knots.

Maximum Range: 1500 miles at 12 knots.

Complement: 36 (incl. 4 officers).

Radar: Navigation; One Decca 1629 radar at I-band frequency.

Weapons: One Bofors 40mm/60 gun.

Comments: These vessels have similar hulls to the depleted SDB Mk.2 Class but with much smaller engines. The vessels are based at Kochi and Chennai. Like her sister ships, the Makar was initially inducted as a survey vessel and she did numerous surveys for the Indian Navy and the Hydrographic Department of India till 1993. Following the Indian Navy's decision to increase its presence in the Palk Bay, following LTTE activities off Tamil Nadu coast, the role of Makar was changed from survey to local defence and its base port shifted from Kochi to Chennai. Under the changed role, the ship was deployed for the first time in the Palk Bay on 02 January 1994 and thereafter she was involved in innumerable exercises and operations. As per an article in The Hindu, the Makar was decommissioned on 04 April 2005 at Chennai.

As per an article in The Hindu, the Mithun was decommissioned from the Indian Navy on 31 March 2007 at Chennai. In her 23 years of service to the Indian Navy, the vessel clocked 111,442 hours covering 72,390 nautical miles. The Mithun was originally designed for carrying out survey activities and was initially based at Kochi. From October 1993, she became a patrol vessel and its base was shifted to Chennai. Since then, it had been continuously deployed at Palk Bay and adjoining areas. She contributed immensely to safeguarding the country's territorial waters in the region. She also took part in the tsunami relief operations in December 2004 and was deployed off the coastal towns of Kalpakkam and Mahabalipuram, both south of Chennai.

Seaward Defence Boats

SDB T-56 at sea. Image © Indian NavySDB T-56 lies anchored at sea along with FAC T-83, a Super Dvora Class fast patrol vessel. Image © Indian Navy 

Vessel Type: Large Patrol Craft.

Designations & Pennant Numbers:
SDB Mk.II
  T-54 commissioned on 01 Sep 1982 , decommissioned on 20 Jan 06
SDB
Mk.II  T-55 decommissiond in 2008-2009
SDB
Mk.III T-56 decommissiond in 2008-2009
SDB Mk.III T-57
SDB Mk.III T-58
SDB Mk.III T-59 decommisioned on 07 Sep 2009
SDB Mk.III T-60 decommisioned on 07 Sep 2009

Displacement: 210 tons full load.

Main Machinery: Two diesel motors with 6,820 hp and 2 shafts.

Maximum Speed: 30 knots.

Maximum Range: 5800 miles at 15 knots.

Complement: 32 personnel.

Radar: Surface; Bharat 1245, I-band.

Weapons: Two Bofors 40mm/60 gun at 120 rds/min to 5.5n miles; 10 km.

Comments: These vessels were built at Garden Reach DY, Kolkata and Mazagon DY, Goa and completed by 1984-86.

The Indian Navy on Monday, 07 Sep2009 de-commissioned two of its Seaward Defence Boats, T-59 and T-60, 24 years after they started sailing the seas. The decommissioning took place at the Madras Port Trust in the presence of commodore Rajiv Girotra, VSM, naval officer-in-charge (Tamil Nadu & Puducherry), who received the guard of honour. The paying off pennant was hoisted on Sunday to mark the beginning of the decommissioning ceremony. The naval ensign and the national flag were lowered and folded at sunset. The last post was then played and the paying off pennant lowered. Measuring 37.5 metres in length with speeds of 25 knots and manned by sailors and officers, the ships were fitted with two Bofors 40/60 and one heavy machine gun. Under the guidance of naval officer-in-charge (Tamil Nadu & Puducherry), the ships played an appreciable role to augment the coastal security that included measures to sensitise fishing communities and enforce security along international maritime border line and off shore platforms.  During their long years of service, SDB-59 and SDB T-60 had been mostly based in Chennai and participated in several crucial deployments like Op Pawan and Op Tasha, a naval release said.  While the SDB-59 had clocked 1,840 days at sea, the SDB-60 has clocked over 1,900 days at sea, the release said. The ships will be replaced by two new indigenously-designed Water Jet Propelled Fast Attack Craft (WJFAC) which will commissioned on November 10 at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, Kolkata.