INS Rajput (D51)

For other ships with the same name, see INS Rajput (D141).

INS Rajput
History
India
NameRajput
NamesakeRajput
Builder61 Kommunara Shipbuilding Plant
Laid down11 September 1976
Launched17 September 1977
Commissioned4 May 1980
Decommissioned21 May 2021
Homeport
  • Mumbai (till June 1988)
  • Visakhaptnam (from June 1988 till decommissioning)
IdentificationPennant number: D51
MottoRaaj Karega Rajput (lit. The Rajput Will Rule)
StatusDecommissioned
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeRajput-class destroyer
Displacement
  • 3,950 tons standard,
  • 4,974 tons full load
Length142 m (465 ft 11 in)
Beam15.8 m (51 ft 10 in)
Draught5 m (16 ft 5 in)
Propulsion4 x gas turbine engines; 2 shafts, 72,000 hp (54,000 kW)
Speed35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph)
Range
  • 4,000 mi (6,400 km) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
  • 2,600 miles (4,200 km) at 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph)
Complement320 (including 35 officers)
Sensors and
processing systems
  • Navigation: 2 × Volga (NATO: Don Kay) radar at I band frequency,
  • Air: 1 × MP-500 Kliver (NATO: Big Net-A) radar at C band,
  • Air/Surface: 1 × EL/M-2238 STAR (replacing 1 × MR-310U Angara (NATO: Head Net-C) radar at E band)[1]
  • Communication: Inmarsat,
  • Sonar: BEL HUMSA (replacing 1 × hull mounted Vycheda MG-311 (NATO: Wolf Paw) sonar during mid-life refit), 1 × Vyega MG-325 (NATO: Mare Tail) variable depth sonar
Armament
Aircraft carried2 × HAL Chetak helicopter (or) 1 × Kamov Ka-27 helicopter
INS Rajput firing a BrahMos missile

INS Rajput was a guided-missile destroyer and the lead ship of the Rajput class of the Indian Navy. It was commissioned on 4 May 1980. It was the first destroyer of the Indian Navy. It was built for India by the erstwhile USSR, and had the shipyard name Nadezhny (lit. Reliable). Captain (later Vice Admiral) Gulab Mohanlal Hiranandani was her first commanding officer.

The Rajput served as the trial platform for the BrahMos cruise missile, and was the first warship to be equipped with the missile. The 4 P-20M inclined single launchers on the ship (2 port and 2 starboard) were replaced by 8 boxed launchers (4 port and 4 starboard) with each having the ability to carry one BrahMos cruise missile. The BrahMos missile was test fired from the ship twice in 2003[2][3][4] and once in 2004,[5][6] 2005[7] and 2008 (land-attack variant).[8] A new variant of the Prithvi-III missile, named Dhanush, was test fired from the Rajput in March 2007 and successfully hit a land-based target. The missile had an enhanced range of 350 km.[9] She is capable of attacking land targets, as well as fulfilling anti-aircraft and anti-submarine roles as a taskforce or carrier escort.[10] Rajput tracked the Dhanush ballistic missile during a successful test in 2005.[11]

The ship was decommissioned on 21 May 2021 at the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam.[12][13] She has participated in several important missions over the years, including Operation Aman off the coast of Sri Lanka to assist the Indian Peace Keeping Force during the Sri Lankan Civil War, Operation Pawan for patrolling duties off the coast of Sri Lanka, Operation Cactus to resolve the hostage situation off the Maldives, and Operation Crowsnest off Lakshadweep.[14][15]

  1. ^ Friedman, Norman (2006). The Naval Institute guide to world naval weapon systems (5th ed.). Annapolis, Md: Naval Institute. p. 243. ISBN 1557502625.
  2. ^ "Anti-ship missile Brahmos test fired". The Times of India. Press Trust of India. 12 February 2003. Archived from the original on 29 July 2018. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  3. ^ T.S. Subramanian (3 December 2003). "Anti-ship version of BrahMos proves its mettle". The Hindu. [dead link‍]
  4. ^ "India test-fires BrahMos cruise missile". BBC Selected Wire Articles: India. Press Trust of India. 23 November 2003 – via NewsBank.
  5. ^ T.S. Subramanian (4 November 2004). "Supersonic cruise missile BrahMos ready to join Navy". The Hindu. [dead link‍]
  6. ^ "Brahmos tested successfully". The Times of India. Press Trust of India. 3 November 2004. Archived from the original on 24 March 2018. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  7. ^ T.S. Subramanian (16 April 2005). "BrahMos test-fired off west coast". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 19 April 2005.
  8. ^ "Brahmos naval version tested successfully". Press Information Bureau. 5 March 2008. Archived from the original on 23 March 2018. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  9. ^ "Dhanush, naval surface-to-surface missile, test fired successfully". domain-b.com. 31 March 2007. Archived from the original on 28 July 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  10. ^ Ministry of Defence (24 September 2010). "Brahmos naval version tested successfully" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. Archived from the original on 24 September 2010.
  11. ^ Vishwakarma, Arun (28 December 2005). "Prithvi SRBM". Bharat Rakshak. Archived from the original on 18 September 2009.
  12. ^ "INS Rajput to be Decommissioned on 21 May 21". PIB. 20 May 2021.
  13. ^ @ANI (21 May 2021). "INS Rajput, first destroyer of the Indian Navy, which was commissioned on 4th May 1980 will be decommissioned on 21st May during a ceremony at Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam: Indian Navy" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  14. ^ "INS Rajput to be decommissioned today after 41 years of service". The Hindu. 20 May 2021. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  15. ^ Soviet Pioneer Retires Ships Monthly July 2021 page 14