INS Kiltan: Indian Navy’s new ‘Make in India’ anti-submarine warfare stealth corvette packs a potent punch!

INS Kiltan, a 'Make in India' anti-submarine warfare (ASW) stealth corvette, is the latest addition to Indian Navy's list of lethal warships! Commissioned into the Indian Navy by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the INS Kiltan is the third in the Kamorta-class warships. Built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers, as much as 81% of INS Kiltan is indigenous. The ship, says the government release, is well equipped to fight in Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) warfare conditions. We take a look at some key facts about INS Kiltan:

INS Kiltan: This is the latest indigenous warship after Shivalik class, Kolkata class and sister Ships INS Kamorta and INS Kadmatt to join the Indian Navy’s arsenal.

INS Kiltan: According to the Indian Navy, INS Kiltan is the first major warship to have a superstructure of carbon fibre composite material. This, says Indian Navy, improves the warship's stealth features, allows for lower top weight and maintenance costs.

INS Kiltan: It is also the first major warship to have undertaken "sea trials of all major weapons and sensors as a pilot project prior delivery" by shipyard to Indian Navy. This means that the warship is ready for deployment from the day of its commissioning.

INS Kiltan boasts of a predominantly indigneous weapons and sensors suite. "The ship hosts a predominantly indigenous cutting-edge weapons and sensors suite which includes heavy weight torpedoes, ASW rockets, 76 mm caliber Medium Range gun & two multi-barrel 30 mm guns as Close-in-Weapon System (CIWS) with dedicated fire control systems, missile decoy rockets (Chaff), advanced ESM (Electronic Support Measure) system, most advanced bow mounted sonar and air surveillance radar Revathi. The ship in the future would also be installed with short range SAM system and carry an integral ASW Helicopter," says the Ministry of Defence release.

INS Kiltan: The ship has a displacement of 3500 tonnes and spans 109 meters in length and 14 meters at the beam. It is propelled by four diesel engines to achieve speeds in excess of 25 knots with an endurance of 3450 nautical miles, says Indian Navy.

INS Kiltan: The propulsion and auxiliary systems, claims the manufacturer, provide "very low radiated underwater noise feature" that is required for anti-submarine warfare.

INS Kiltan: The ship has enhanced stealth features that have been achieved by ‘X’ form of Hull, full beam superstructure, inclined ship sides and use of Infra Red Signature Suppression (IRSS) system designed by NSTL for cooling the Engine and Generator exhausts.

INS Kiltan: The ship derives its name from one of the islands in Aminidivi group of the strategically located Lakshadweep and Minicoy group of Islands. The new warship will be a part of the Eastern Fleet, enhancing Indian Navy’s "reach, striking capability and sustainability" in the Indian Ocean Region.