EXCLUSIVE FIRST VIDEO & IMAGES: Here She Is! D63 Kolkata Destroyer With Indian Navy

[IND151]

3 Ships in this class. Then there will be the follow-on class P-15B: with upto 7 ships.

I was under impression only 4 P 15B DDGs will be inducted.

 

[Gessler]

I was under impression only 4 P 15B DDGs will be inducted.

He means 3 plus 4.

 

[IND151]

He means 3 plus 4.

OK........................

 

[Penguin]

It IS rather surprising to see Kolkata P15A reverting back to the original 4x AK630 CIWS set of the Delhi P15. I wonder if we will not see - in time - a refit. Perhaps not Barak 1 (although even that would alleviate concerns of being underarmed) but perhaps the Maitri SRSAM system. I don't know that its VLU would look like but VL Mica is typically depicted with 3,5m A35 and 4,3m A43 Sylver VLUs. Since Maitri would likely be longer that Barak 1, perhaps a shortened version of the Barak-8 VLU would be used, which could well fit in the area around the rear mast.

Solving Pakistan Navy's Ship Problem | Page 2

 

[SQ8]

Why not? So long as you keep tecnology development in mind. Signature reduction has been going on for a long time. Note e.g. US Prairie-Masker system to reduce cavitation noise of surface ship like Spruane, Kid, Ticonderoga etc. It is not a new thing, though there are new developments.

This is exactly what I referred to Monseigneur, in terms of current developments. At todays technology level.. there are ships that stand out. For e.g. while the Chinese seem to have taken the flat and angled hull shapes in stride, one cannot say for sure whether they are comparable to the measures undertaken in the aforementioned classes.

 

[Penguin]

. For e.g. while the Chinese seem to have

This is exactly what I referred to Monseigneur, in terms of current developments. At todays technology level.. there are ships that stand out. For e.g. while the Chinese seem to have taken the flat and angled hull shapes in stride, one cannot say for sure whether they are comparable to the measures undertaken in the aforementioned classes.

Then again, a ship can't be called modern if it doesn't pay attention to signature reduction. All of the above do, in various spectra.

 

[mike2000]

Nice and sophisticated destroyer. Me like.

 

[Dillinger]

@Penguin I finally got in touch with someone I knew at the design bureau, there were plans for carrying the Barak-1, in fact the design called for the Barak-1 cells to be placed near the CIWS guns, but for some reason the future procurement of Barak-1 were scuttled by our "sainted" ex def-min.

I didn't bring up the Iver or the de zeven in the context of signature reduction or as a result of your posts, the Iver simply happens to be my favorite ship out in the waters (as silly as that sounds, in terms of aesthetics), not to mention the goodly amount of SAMs it can carry for such a compact design.

Also, clarification required, I thought that the de zeven and the iver are fitted out with the radar designated specifically as the "SMART-L"? The SMART-L is said to detect patrol air crafts out at 400 Km and can even track ballistic missiles, not to mention the ELR software upgrade?

SMART- L 3D Long range surveillance radar | Thales Group

SMART- L 3D LONG RANGE SURVEILLANCE RADAR
SMART-L’s large sensitivity allows for the early detection and tracking of very small aircraft and missiles. The accurate 3D target information provides an essential contribution to the threat evaluation process, especially in multiple attack scenarios and it allows the weapon control system to lock-on rapidly.

SMART-L is a 3D multibeam radar designed to provide long-range air & surface surveillance and target designation.








Operating in L-band, SMART-L provides a very long-range coverage (400 km radius) as well as 70° of elevation. State-of-the-art technology, combined with refined signal processing, SMART-L guarantees excellent performance, especially against stealthy targets in a littoral environment. SMART-L's high sensitivity allows for the early detection and tracking of very small aircraft and missiles.



Recent tests with SMART-L equipped with the recently developed Extended Long Range module were highly successful. Thanks to the ELR module, SMART-L's already impressive range can be substantially increased.

SMART-L is operational on the Netherlands' and German air defence frigates, the Korean Landing Platform Dock and is under contract for the Danish Navy's Patrol Ships. SMART-L's derivative, S1850M, is currently being installed on the Royal Navy's Type 45 vessels and the French and Italian Horizon class destroyers and is under contract for the new British Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers.

https://www.thalesgroup.com/sites/default/files/asset/document/Datasheet SMART_L_HR.pdf

Options
• Ballistic Missile Defense support

Performance
• Military Patrol Aircraft : ~400 km
• Stealth missile : ~65 km

Technical Data
Instrumented data:
• Range (air) : 400km
• Elevation : 70°
• Capacity : >1000 tracks

 

[Gessler]

@Penguin I finally got in touch with someone I knew at the design bureau, there were plans for carrying the Barak-1, in fact the design called for the Barak-1 cells to be placed near the CIWS guns, but for some reason the future procurement of Barak-1 were scuttled by our "sainted" ex def-min.

Any news from your design bureau source about how many rounds of Barak-8 (aka Barak-2) are carried in total?

 

[Dillinger]

Any news from your design bureau source about how many rounds of Barak-8 (aka Barak-2) are carried in total?

32 bro, 32 only, no news on any carriage of extra rounds, whether or not a resupply ship could execute a reload I did not ask, but so far all the VLS modules are reloaded "from the top" (as in, open the hatch and stuff the new round in from the top), some sort of lifting apparatus will be required and I don't spot any near the VLS cells.

 

[Abingdonboy]

but for some reason the future procurement of Barak-1 were scuttled by our "sainted" ex def-min.

These issues were sorted out:

Antony finally clears long-pending controversial deal for Israeli Barak missiles - The Times of India


Should we expect Barak-1 VLUs to be on the P-15Bs and retrofitted onto the P-15As during their next refit then?

 

[Dillinger]

These issues were sorted out:

Antony finally clears long-pending controversial deal for Israeli Barak missiles - The Times of India


Should we expect Barak-1 VLUs to be on the P-15Bs and retrofitted onto the P-15As during their next refit then?

Not always that simple, no?

If the procurement of the missile was blocked when the design of the 15A was being rehashed (and it has been rehashed quite often, courtesy the NDB) then the current and final iteration might very well have made no provision for the Barak-1 module at all. As for the 15Bs, lord alone knows, no concrete illustrations are available. My only abiding hope is that better CIWS will find its way on to the 15B and that the Kolkatas will eventually see something akin to the RAN-40L in the service life extension program. Even the introduction of a proper 3D L-band VSR during the SLEP would make the Kolkata quite more formidable, and perhaps a low frequency towed sonar array for proper ASW protection for the CBG.

@Abingdonboy For example, on the Delhi class destroyers (refer to the pic posted by penguin at the start of this page) the Barak-1 modules are situated right where the CIWS can be seen on the specific pic, when we retro-fitted the Barak-1s on the Delhi we removed the two CIWS guns fore of the VSR mast and placed two eight cell VLS modules in place of each gun.

This could very well have been the plan for the 15As and might be seen on the Bs, who knows.

@Gessler The above is the ONLY way I can think of fitting the SR-SAM in, note, if we rationalized the VLU design of the Barak-8 we could still have fit in more, that's what I could scrape from my interaction.

 

[Abingdonboy]

My only abiding hope is that better CIWS will find its way on to the 15B

This is assured:

Indian Navy for 25 new CIWS for warships - SP's Naval Forces

and that the Kolkatas will eventually see something akin to the RAN-40L in the service life extension program.

Pretty much assured also as the IAC-1, P-17A and P-15B will all have such (hopefully pragmatism triumphs and the issues with Finmeccanica are put to bed so as to not upset sic procurement plans for all these vessels which would be a travesty).

 

[Dillinger]

This is assured:

Indian Navy for 25 new CIWS for warships - SP's Naval Forces



Pretty much assured also as the IAC-1, P-17A and P-15B will all have such (hopefully pragmatism triumphs and the issues with Finmeccanica are put to bed so as to not upset sic procurement plans for all these vessels which would be a travesty).

Don't be so sure given our track record with procurement, in that context I don't trust ANY Indian politician/political party or faction since the issues are systemic tendencies of the system we have in place and nearly institutionalized. I'm going to breath easy only when the systems are actually integrated.

 

[Abingdonboy]

Don't be so sure given our track record with procurement, in that context I don't trust ANY Indian politician/political party or faction since the issues are systemic tendencies of the system we have in place and nearly institutionalized. I'm going to breath easy only when the systems are actually integrated.

I agree with you, from a political perspective it would be easier for the likes of the NDA to go along with the UPA's blacklistings rather than expose themselves to attack by violating such bans. The NDA did claim they opposed the policy of blacklisting defence entities as a whole so let's see if they put their money where their mouths are.....

I am very much concerned about the RAN-40L's procurement also even for the IAC-1 where an order has been placed, I hope this is still very much on the table.