The Kolkata Class: India’s Most Powerful Stealth Surface Combatants

The three 7,500-ton Kolkata-class (Project 15A) guided-missile destroyers are the most powerful warships currently in service with the Indian Navy after the modified Kiev-class aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya. They are a potent sign of India’s slowly expanding naval power in Asia.

The class is made up of three guided-missile destroyers named after the major port cities of India: INS Kolkata, INS Kochi, and INS Chennai. All three warships were built at the Mazagon naval dockyards in Mumbai. The lead ship of the class, the INS Kolkata, was commissioned in August 2014 after a multiyear delay. The INS Kochi was commissioned in October 2015, while the last ship of the class, the INS Chennai, was commissioned in November 2016.

Notably, it took more than 11 years to build the first-of-class INS Kolkata, which was laid down in September 2003; 10 years to build the Kochi, laid down in late 2005; and another 10 years to complete the Chennai, which was laid down in early 2006. The delays in construction were attributed to persistent design changes and delays in the supply of warship-grade steel from Russia. There were also technical problems and delays in the acquisition of the ship’s air defense systems, next to other procurement issues.

Each Kolkata-class warship cost about $950 million, almost three times the amount it cost to build the preceding 6,200-ton Project 15 Delhi class of guided-missile destroyers, which were constructed from 1987 to 2001. The Kolkata-class destroyers are multipurpose platforms capable of engaging in anti-submarine/anti-ship warfare, land attacks, and air defense and can also be deployed to defend aircraft carrier surface strike groups. The latter mission will be especially pertinent when India’s first domestically built aircraft carrier, the future INS Vikrant, designated IAC-1, enters service in the early 2020s.

The Kolkata-class is equipped with a 16-cell universal vertical launcher module (UVLM) and two vertical launching systems (VLS), for firing BrahMos supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles and Barak 8 long-range surface-to-air missiles, respectively. Overall, each destroyer is capable of carrying 32 Barak air defense missiles and 16 BrahMos anti-ship missiles.

The BrahMos missile — named after the Brahmaputra River in India and the Moskva River in Russia – is a derivative of the Russian-made P-800 Oniks over-the-horizon supersonic anti-ship cruise missile and considered to be one of the world’s fastest ship-launched cruise missiles currently in service. The missile can reportedly reach top speeds of up to Mach 3.

The two-stage Barak 8 was co-developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and India’s state-owned Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) in partnership with defense contractors in both India and Israel as part of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Make in India” initiative. It is designed to deal with a wide range of incoming airborne threats and can intercept targets as close as 500 meters from a ship. The missile has a maximum speed of Mach 2 and its maximum range is estimated at around 70 kilometers.  

Additionally, the Kolkata class is armed with a frontal-mounted 76-millimeter Super Rapid Gun Mount, four fully-automated Russian AK-630 close-in weapon systems, two RBU-6000 rocket launchers, as well as two twin-tube 533 millimeter torpedo launchers. The destroyer can also carry up to two Sea King Mk42B anti-submarine warfare helicopters in its dual-hangar.

The latest ship of the class, INS Chennai, operates the Electronic Modular Command & Control Applications (EMMCCA Mk 4) combat management system (CMS), one of the most advanced of its kind produced by Indian defense contractor Bharat Electronics Limited. The INS Kolkata and INS Kochi are expected to be retrofitted with the new CMS in the near future.

The Kolkata class is also fitted with the so-called Elbit Systems Deseaver MK-II decoy control and launching system to provide protection against anti-ship missiles. The ship’s Multi-Function Surveillance Threat Alert Radar (MF-STAR), a multi-function, solid-state, digital active phased array (AESA), 3D radar, is the eyes of the ship and the Israeli equivalent to the U.S. Navy’s Aegis combat system.

The class’ sonar systems include a bow-mounted sonar array as well as active towed array sonar for anti-submarine warfare. 

Each ship has a crew of 45 officers and 395 non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel. The guided-missile destroyer is powered by four DT-59 gas turbines and can reach top speeds in excess of 30 knots. The operational range of the class is estimated at around 8,000 nautical miles (15,000 kilometers). 

The Kolkata class will be succeeded by the Project 15B Visakhapatnam class of guided missile destroyers. The Visakhapatnam class will be the most advanced destroyer class ever to be built in India. Principally based on the Kolkata class, the Visakhapatnam class at 7,400 tons will have a slightly bigger displacement, but feature a reduced radar signature due its improved stealth design.  The first-of-class future INS Visakhapatnam is expected to be commissioned by 2021.

Overall, there are currently 36 ships and submarines under construction in Indian shipyards. The Kolkata class is the first class of stealth destroyers constructed by India and marked a significant development in India’s naval shipbuilding capability.