Kolkata, Nov 2 (IANS) The Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd signed a contract with the Indian Navy for the construction of five (5) Next Generation Corvettes (NGCs) on Monday.
GRSE was the lowest bidder for this project, which is worth nearly Rs 32,000 crore (for the five warships).
While GRSE has built guided-missile and anti-submarine warfare corvettes in the past, the NGCs will not only be larger, but far more advanced with state-of-the-art sensors and weapons.
These warships will be 127 metres long and 17.6 metres wide. They will have a deadweight tonnage of 4,950 Tons, with the capability of operating at sea without replenishment for 14 days. Their maximum speed will be 26 knots.
Classified by a Naval Headquarters-approved classification society, the NGCs will accommodate 11 officers and 139 sailors. The platforms will have a highly sophisticated propulsion architecture of a Combined Diesel and Gas turbine with a Cross-Connect gearbox (CODAG-CC), driving two Controllable Pitch Propellers (CPP).
The Corvettes will be designed for multi-role operations, including offensive Ship-to-Ship or Ship-to-Surface Missile Attacks, Anti-Missile Defences, Anti-Submarine Warfare Operations, Escort Duties, Maritime Interdiction Operations (MIO) including Visit Board Search and Seizure, and Local Naval Defence.
For these roles, the warships will be fitted with advanced weapons and navigation suites such as Medium Range Anti-Ship Missiles (MRAShM), Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missiles (MRSAM), and 324 mm torpedo tubes.
They will also have a OTO Melara 76 mm Super Rapid Gun Mount (SRGM) with the latest upgrade, an AK 630 Close-In Weapon System (CIWS), 12.7 mm Stabilised Remote Controlled Guns (SRCGs) with Electro-Optic Based Fire Control System (EOFCS), Electro-Optical Infrared Search and Track (EOIRST) system and Multi-Function Surveillance, Track and Guidance Radar (MFSTAR). The NGCs will also carry helicopters.
–IANS
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