INS Mumbai being readied to join navy’s destroyer fleet

The fully air-conditioned ship is also armed with AK-100 gun and four smaller guns apart from the missiles and will carry two helicopters on board. “The ship would have been built faster if we had more advanced technology at our disposal,” an official at the MDL said. “In some developed countries it takes only three days to insulate the ship while the same takes almost three months in India. Again cabling needs to be swifter,” he added.

“The earlier two ships yard 715 (Delhi) and yard 725 (Mysore) had been delayed due to several reasons including a break in supplies from Russia and the rupee-rouble exchange. But now things are back in order and the work on Mumbai’ (which started in mid-1993) should be completed in the next six months,” another official said.

“Apart from the weapon and radar system, the Russians are also working on the propulsion system and the generators. Therefore whether the ship’s construction will actually be completed by October also depends on them. More than 60 per cent of INS Mumbai’ would be indegenously constructed and there will be about 40 per cent imported equipment used,” he added.

The builders at MDL are taking care of the teething troubles that arose in INS Delhi’ and Mysore’. “There were some problems with those destroyers and had to repaired after the ships were commissioned. But there is no such problem with Mumbai’ as we are taking care of those problems now itself. These include improving the funnel system to prevent over heating,” Mitra said speaking to a group of journalists at the MDL.

“As a follow on of Delhi class, the navy has decided to give clearance to more Delhi class destroyers in principle,” sources in the navy said.