INS Kochi


INS Kochi is the second ship of the stealth guided-missile destroyers built for the Indian Navy. She was constructed at Mazagon Dock Limited located in Mumbai. After undergoing extensive sea trials, she was commissioned to Indian Navy service on 30 September 2015. INS Kochi has been built under the code name of Project 15 Alpha.

Construction

The keel of Kochi was laid on 25 October 2005. In keeping with the tradition of the Navy, the warship was launched by Madhulika Verma, wife of Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Nirmal Kumar Verma, at 11.20 a.m. 18 September 2009 from the Mazagon Dock in Mumbai. For the first time, Mazagon Docks used a "pontoon assisted" launching method in collaboration with a Russian firm Baltisky Zavod. Under this method, pontoons are welded to the hull, which give buoyancy and helps overcome tidal constraints. Mazagon plans to use this method for all future ship launches, as the process makes it possible to launch ships with much higher weight.

Weapon trials

On 1 November 2015 the Navy successfully test-fired the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from Kochi. The missile hit its target, a decommissioned ship called INS Alleppey, with almost pinpoint accuracy during this first-ever vertical launch from the 7,500-tonne INS Kochi.
On 16 May and 29 November 2017, the Navy successfully test fired the Barak 8 missiles from Kochi.

Cooperative Engagement Capability through Joint Taskforce Coordination (JTC) mode

On 15 May 2019, INS Chennai along with INS Kochi participated in the maiden cooperative engagement firing through the employment of the full Joint Taskforce Coordination mode which implements the MRSAM / Barak 8 ‘Cooperative Engagement’ operating mode.

Design

INS Kochi is the largest India-made warship, till the time of its commissioning. The warship is designed by the Navy's in-house organisation, directorate of naval design, and it is constructed by Mazagon Dock Ship builders Ltd in Mumbai. It has displacement of 7,500 tons and it is in length and at the beam and is propelled by four gas turbines and designed to achieve speeds in excess of. The ship has built with advanced stealth features which have been achieved through shaping of hull and use of radar-transparent deck fittings. A bow mounted sonar dome, the second of its kind in an indigenous naval platform, has been introduced to enhance sonar acoustic performance.The ship has a complement of about 40 officers and 350 sailors.