Wikipedia

INS Surat

INS Surat
History
India
NameSurat
NamesakeSurat
OperatorIndian Navy
BuilderMazagon Dock Limited
Laid down7 November 2019
Launched17 May 2022
Completed15 June 2024
Commissioned15 January 2025
IdentificationPennant number: D69
Mottoसागरे प्रचंड। "Fierce in the ocean" or "Mighty in the sea."
StatusIn active service
Badge
General characteristics
TypeGuided missile destroyer
Displacement7,400 t (7,300 long tons; 8,200 short tons)[1]
Length163 m (535 ft)
Beam17.4 m (57 ft)
Draft6.5 m (21 ft)
Propulsion
SpeedIn excess of 30 knots (56 km/h)
Range8,000 nautical miles (15,000 km; 9,200 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)[3]
Endurance45 days
Boats & landing
craft carried		4 x RHIB
Crew300 (50 officers + 250 sailors)
Sensors &
processing systems
Electronic warfare
& decoys
Armament
Aircraft carried2 × HAL Dhruv (or) Sea King Mk. 42B
Aviation facilitiesEnclosed helicopter hangar and flight deck capable of accommodating two multi-role helicopters.
NotesModified derivative of the Kolkata-class destroyer.[4]

INS Surat is the fourth ship of the Visakhapatnam-class stealth guided-missile destroyers of the Indian Navy. The ship is the last of the line of destroyers built under Project 15 which includes the Delhi-class (P-15), the Kolkata-class (P-15A) and the Visakhapatnam-class destroyer (P-15B).[5] The commissioning commanding officer of Surat is Captain Sandeep Shourie.[6]

Initially, the ship was speculated to be named after port city Porbandar but later it was changed to Surat. The other warships of this class are INS Visakhapatnam, INS Mormugao, INS Imphal.[7] The ship has the distinction of being the first Artificial Intelligence-enabled warship of the Indian Navy.[5]

Construction

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The keel of Surat was laid down in 2018. Built at two different geographical locations using the block construction methodology involving hull construction and joining at MDL. Successor of P-15A destroyers, P-15B destroyers are the next generation of stealth guided missile destroyers.[8]

The keel for Surat was laid on 9 November 2019[5] and was launched on 17 May 2022 by Mazagon Dock Limited.[9] On 15 June 2024, Surat begun her Contractor Sea Trials and completed her Final Machinery Trials on 25 November 2024 taking a time of record low of 6 months. The ship was delivered to the Indian Navy on 20 December 2024. The ship was delivered within 31 months from launch which made this the fastest destroyer to be built in India.[5] The ship was initially scheduled to be commissioned in December 2024 but the timeline was later shifted.[10][11]

Service history

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The ship was commissioned on 15 January 2025 along with INS Nilgiri and INS Vagsheer.[12][13]

On 24 April 2025, INS Surat conducted a missile test of MRSAM which intercepted a sea-skimming target in the Arabian Sea through precision cooperative engagement.[14]

The ship arrived at Hazira Port near Surat on the occasion of Gujarat Day on 1 May 2025.[15] Surat was involved in the rescue operations of a container vessel that had caught fire off the coast of Beypore along with the Indian Coast Guard In early June 2025.[16] The ship later took the 18 crew members injured in the fire to Mangalore on June 9.[17]

On 28 August 2025, Surat arrived in Jeddah Port of Saudi Arabia a day after INS Tamal.

On 28 August 2025, INS Surat undertook her maiden overseas port call at Jeddah Port of Saudi Arabia, a day after INS Tamal called at the same port, i.e., on 27 August. The ships' crew will also interact with the Royal Saudi Navy and Border Guards as part of a goodwill visit along with diplomatic talks, sports fixture and exploring "avenues for further engagement".[18] On 7 September 2025, Surat participated in a Passage Exercise (PASSEX) with ITS Caio Duilio (D554).[19][20]

Exercise Konkan 2025

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See also: UK Carrier Strike Group § Carrier Strike Group 25 (Operation Highmast)

INS Vikrant (R11) and its Carrier Battle Group (CBG), including Surat, took part in the biennial Exercise Konkan 2025 with the Royal Navy's UK Carrier Strike Group 2025 (UK CSG 25), a formation centred on HMS Prince of Wales (R09), between 5 and 12 October 2025 off the Western Coast of India. This is the maiden instance of a dual carrier operation between the countries.[21][22][23] While the UK CSG included HMS Richmond (F239) and RFA Tidespring (A136) along with HNoMS Roald Amundsen (F311) of the Royal Norwegian Navy and JS Akebono (DD-108) of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force,[24] the Indian Navy's CBG included INS Kolkata (D63), INS Mormugao (D67), INS Tabar (F44), INS Teg (F45) and INS Deepak (A50).[25][26] The 2021 edition, named Konkan Shakti, was the largest exercise in the series in which all three services of both countries participated. On 8 October, the Indian Air Force deployed its Su-30MKI and Jaguar aircraft for a one-day exercise with the group.[27][22][23]

Ship badge

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On 6 November 2023, Chief Minister of Gujarat, Bhupendra Patel, unveiled the crest of the ship in Surat.[28] The crest depicts the lighthouse at Hazira of Surat which is situated at the southern entrance of the Gulf of Khambhat and was built in 1836 as one of the first lighthouses in India. The state animal of Gujarat, the Asiatic Lion is also depicted in the crest of the ship.[29]

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "INS Visakhapatnam', First Ship of Project 15B launched". indiannavy.nic.in. Indian Navy (News). Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  2. ^ "Project 15B Guided Missile Destroyers, Mazagon Dock Limited".
  3. ^ Shukla, Ajay (21 April 2015). "INS Visakhapatnam shows growing Indian ability to build warships economically". Business Standard. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  4. ^ "Project 15B Guided Missile Destroyers".
  5. ^ a b c d "YARD 12707 (SURAT) AND YARD 12651 (NILGIRI) DELIVERED TO INDIAN NAVY". Press Information Bureau. Ministry of Defence, Government of India. 20 December 2024. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
  6. ^ Pandit, Vinaya Deshpande (15 January 2025). "Red-letter day for the Navy, declare Captains of 3 frontline combatants". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  7. ^ @ANI (16 November 2021). "Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will formally Commission INS Vishakhapatnam on Nov 21 in Mumbai: Navy Vice Admiral SN Ghormade" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. ^ "Time to Make-for-World, Says Rajnath as Indian Navy Launches Indigenous Warships in Mumbai". MSN. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  9. ^ "Raksha Mantri launches two indigenous frontline warships - Surat (Guided Missile Destroyer) & Udaygiri (Stealth Frigate) - in Mumbai". PIB. 17 May 2022.
  10. ^ @Sputnik_India (20 September 2024). "#Surat will be the next major combatant to join the #IndianNavy's arsenal. The ship commenced her maiden sea trials prior induction..." (Tweet). Retrieved 20 September 2024 – via Twitter.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ "Indian Navy to commission four warships, submarines in a mth". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
  12. ^ "Navy gets 'hunter-killer' submarine, warships; PM says emerging as maritime power". India Today. 15 January 2025. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
  13. ^ "PM Modi commissions INS Surat, INS Nilgiri, and INS Vaghsheer: Key points". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
  14. ^ "Video: Navy warship conducts missile test in Arabian Sea". India Today. 24 April 2025. Retrieved 24 April 2025.
  15. ^ "INS Surat docks at Hazira on Gujarat Foundation Day". The Times of India. 1 May 2025. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
  16. ^ https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/singaporeflagged-vessel-catches-fire-off-kerala-coast-navy-coast-guard-launch-rescue-operation-101749459261442.html
  17. ^ "Indian Navy vessel with 18 crew members rescued from fire-struck ship arrives in Mangaluru". The Hindu. 10 June 2025. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  18. ^ "Indian Naval Ships Tamal and Surat arrived at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 29 August 2025. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  19. ^ @IN_WNC (8 September 2025). "#INSSurat of @indiannavy participated in a #PASSEX with Andrea Doria Class Destroyer ITS Caio Duilio of @ItalianNavy on 07 Sep 25" (Tweet). Retrieved 9 September 2025 – via Twitter.
  20. ^ @alpha_defense (8 September 2025). "#INSSurat of @indiannavy participated in a #PASSEX with Andrea Doria-class Destroyer ITS Caio Duilio of @ItalianNavy on 07 Sep 25..." (Tweet). Retrieved 9 September 2025 – via Twitter.
  21. ^ "Exercise Konkan - 2025 commences on the Western Seaboard" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 5 October 2025. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  22. ^ a b "UK Carrier Strike Group strengthens partnership with India" (Press release). UK Government. 6 October 2025. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
  23. ^ a b "U.K. and India launch historic Carrier Strike Group Exercise Konkan". The Hindu. 5 October 2025. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  24. ^ Redacción (7 October 2025). "For the first time, the aircraft carriers HMS Prince of Wales and INS Vikrant of the UK and Indian navies trained together in the Indian Ocean". Zona Militar. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
  25. ^ Mahadzir, Dzirhan (7 October 2025). "U.K., Indian Navy Carrier Strike Groups Conduct First Ever Dual Carrier Operations". USNI News. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
  26. ^ "The UK's Carrier Strike Group forms up with the Indian Navy and Japanese ship Akebono". Defence Imagery. 6 October 2025. Archived from the original on 8 October 2025. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
  27. ^ "Royal Navy Carrier Strike Group leaves the Pacific and begins exercise with Indian Navy". Navy Lookout. 8 October 2025. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
  28. ^ "Crest of Navy warship 'Surat' to be unveiled in city it's named after". Business Standard. 5 November 2023.
  29. ^ "CREST UNVEILING CEREMONY SURAT INDIAN NAVY'S PROJECT 15B WARSHIP". pib.gov.in. 6 November 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2024.