Stealth-guided missile destroyer Imphal, equipped with the capability to launch extended-range supersonic BrahMos missiles, was officially commissioned into the Indian Navy in Mumbai on Tuesday.
The commissioning event, attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar, marked the formal induction of the third 'Visakhapatnam' class destroyer.
Rajnath Singh reportedly said, "India has intensified patrolling of seas after recent attacks on merchant navy ships." Further claiming that the Indian government has taken the drone attack on MV Chem Pluto and the attack on MV Saibaba in the Red Sea 'seriously'.
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Calling the INS Imphal example of Atmanirbhar Bharat, Singh said, "I am confident that commissioning of INS Imphal will strengthen India's naval powers."
"Four destroyers deployed to counter piracy and drone attacks on merchant ships," said Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar.
These destroyers are indigenously designed by the navy’s in-house organization, Warship Design Bureau, and constructed by the defense PSU Mazagon Dock Limited, Mumbai.
During the event, Vice Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, Flag Officer Commanding in Chief, Western Naval Command, highlighted that INS Imphal is the first warship named after a city from the northeast.
INS Imphal was handed over to the Indian Navy on October 20 after successfully completing a rigorous and comprehensive trial program both in the harbor and at sea.
