Kolkata-class and Visakhapatnam-class Destroyers: News & Discussions
- Thread starter Ashwin
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What looks like a kolkata class destroyer in Cochin shipyard limited. On the opposite bank of the IAC. Whats up with the helo deck ?
without helicopters its better to use it for events, enemy might not know what is under tarpaulin ......excellent tactics under budget deficient situation.I believe, it's a tarpaulin covering the deck...probably some event taking place?
Good article and some old pics : P-15B Destroyer Visakhapatnam : Update and Images
INS Vishakapatnam : Early 2018, that anime figure is probably covering up a human standing there
Satellite pics from 2018 of Vishakapatnam under construction.
Recent sat pics of Vishakapatnam. Notice the newly constructed port side exhaust. VLS work for the Brahmos seems like over, Barak 8 VLS both fore and aft remain under construction. Gun deck is awaiting the BAE Mark 45 mod 4 gun. Work on helo deck seems like over, don't know about the hangar. Can't say I like the pace of work.
Shipyard pics from 2018 Vishakapatnam in front Mormugao is right behind the leftmost fabrication shed
Even older pics. Visakhapatnam as seen during Khanderi launch (early 2017)
Sat. pics of the INS Mormugao from 2018
Recent sat pics of Mormugao. Still sitting in dry dock. See those two huge holes on top deck, one on each side. Those are the exhaust vent mounting area. None of the VLS are complete, gun deck is also incomplete. She is as they would say a "work in progress".
Now notice the tweet I posted above.
"All 4 ships of the class are now under fitment or construction. Construction of the 4th destroyer of the class started on July 19, 2018 in the South Yard Production Shop of Mazagon Dock, Mumbai."
So all four of them are being built simultaneously and only two of them are out there not covered by the sheds. Correct me if I am wrong, but as far as I know the P-17A class frigates are the first major surface combatant built in this country that uses a modular construction approach which will hopefully reduce build time. In fact, modular construction was a USP of the P-17A. So it is safe to assume that P-15B class doesn't use modular construction. To build a ship the size of the Vizag class by traditional construction approach you need a construction shed that is obviously larger than the ship itself. As the tweet mentions "South Yard Production Shop of Mazagon Dock, Mumbai". So, I did a little digging around to find Production shops in MDL and found this--"Believe at your own risk" :
Don't know how accurate this is, if at all. But, this fits the bill. You can see movable roof, a Goliath crane and its right on the bank for easy access to the sea.
What do you guys think ? @Parthu @Milspec @Falcon
INS Vishakapatnam : Early 2018, that anime figure is probably covering up a human standing there
Satellite pics from 2018 of Vishakapatnam under construction.
Recent sat pics of Vishakapatnam. Notice the newly constructed port side exhaust. VLS work for the Brahmos seems like over, Barak 8 VLS both fore and aft remain under construction. Gun deck is awaiting the BAE Mark 45 mod 4 gun. Work on helo deck seems like over, don't know about the hangar. Can't say I like the pace of work.
Shipyard pics from 2018 Vishakapatnam in front Mormugao is right behind the leftmost fabrication shed
Even older pics. Visakhapatnam as seen during Khanderi launch (early 2017)
Sat. pics of the INS Mormugao from 2018
Recent sat pics of Mormugao. Still sitting in dry dock. See those two huge holes on top deck, one on each side. Those are the exhaust vent mounting area. None of the VLS are complete, gun deck is also incomplete. She is as they would say a "work in progress".
Now notice the tweet I posted above.
"All 4 ships of the class are now under fitment or construction. Construction of the 4th destroyer of the class started on July 19, 2018 in the South Yard Production Shop of Mazagon Dock, Mumbai."
So all four of them are being built simultaneously and only two of them are out there not covered by the sheds. Correct me if I am wrong, but as far as I know the P-17A class frigates are the first major surface combatant built in this country that uses a modular construction approach which will hopefully reduce build time. In fact, modular construction was a USP of the P-17A. So it is safe to assume that P-15B class doesn't use modular construction. To build a ship the size of the Vizag class by traditional construction approach you need a construction shed that is obviously larger than the ship itself. As the tweet mentions "South Yard Production Shop of Mazagon Dock, Mumbai". So, I did a little digging around to find Production shops in MDL and found this--"Believe at your own risk" :
Don't know how accurate this is, if at all. But, this fits the bill. You can see movable roof, a Goliath crane and its right on the bank for easy access to the sea.
What do you guys think ? @Parthu @Milspec @Falcon
A very impressive and good looking ship ! congrats.
INS Kolkata in CamRahn Bay, Vietnam for a goodwill visit.
What is the 4 circular lids on the right side of the Barak 8 VLS for ? 
Excellent find ! Many thanks for this. I have been searching for hi-resolution pictures of the VLS deck for a while. They are surprisingly hard to find.
Well they are clearly covering something under the deck. Something that has a circular cross-section, most possibly a missile of some kind. The Barak 8 VLS sections for comparison are much smaller.
Hmm........a missile that's fatter than the Barak 8 and clearly is in active service. Maybe a Barak 8 ER(the booster section is quite fat) or Brahmos missile. Given how the Barak 8 ER is still in development I'd say Brahmos. Also there has been persistent rumors about the Kolkata class carrying more punch than officially acknowledged. @vstol Jockey what's your take, sir ?
So I got it right ! Yeah baby
where is my award ? In this celebratory mood allow me to make some more conjectures.Atleast 4 of them are there confirmed. The camera angle cuts out half of two of them. So, it is entirely possible that there might be more present but not visible in this image. Knowing the Navy and their penchant for keeping ship designs nice and symmetrical it is almost certain that there will be equal number of missile carrying options for the other side(port side). So atleast 8 more Brahmos missiles. Look at all that real estate still left over on that VLS deck. The Kolkata can sure as hell carry a lot more if there is a need.
Now look at post no #82 on this thread. That's a google image of a Kolkata class(no way of knowing which one) from January-February 2019(don't remember the exact date). Look at the spot around the Barak 8 VLS, you can see whitish/grayish circles around the same place where you see those new missile covers. If it is Kolkata in that pic, then these modifications are rather new. If it is some other ship of the Kolkata class, then INS Kolkata isn't the only one carrying those modifications.
Holy mother of God !
here is another theory :
They seem to be rather irregularly placed. Do those lids necessarily indicate the presence of missile under-deck ?
Holy mother of God !
here is another theory :
They seem to be rather irregularly placed. Do those lids necessarily indicate the presence of missile under-deck ?
These are simply lids or covers , nothing underneath them
Lo ho gayi bas !
Aur meh khush ho raha tha.Why carry them out to sea ? All loading/unloading of missiles happens on ports right ?