The
Indian naval designers have been working on cutting edge ships of the
future. CNN-IBN caught up with naval experts at the President's Fleet
Review to find out what the Indian navy fleet will look like, 10 years
from now. The Indian Navy will have a three hulled ship or the Trimaran
virtually invisible to the enemy radar because of its stealth design.
Its deck gun and missiles have been concealed in every respect.
KN Vaidyanathan, DG, Naval Design, said, "Stealth means reduced
radar cross section, reduced underwater noise as well as reduced infrared
signature apart from other electric signatures."
"We are also going to use multi-function radars, already
our destroyers and new gen frigates are going to have multi-function
radars and they are using the vertical launch systems," he added.
The Trimaran concept design follows in the wake of the Navy's first
stealth design, the Project 17 Shivalik class ships, two of which are
now at sea with a third on the way. |
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But the Navy is banking on the Shivalik's successor,
the Project 17 Alfa stealth vessel, which will have missile silos flush
with the deck and torpedo launchers blending along the sides of the
vessel. There will also be a concealed hangar for a Kamov helicopter.
Naval designers admit that US concepts have influenced some of their
ideas.
"If you look at the LCS design of the US Navy, they are moving
on the seaframe concept and mission modularity.The idea is to have a
basic seaframe for the platform and have a mission module so that you
can have role changes for the ship and there can be a quick turnaround
of roles," Vaidyanathan said.
With an eye on the future, the Navy is moving towards modular construction
and may even participate in Britain's Global Combat Ship project where
individual navies can use a common low cost platform to fit their own
weapons and systems.
From: CNN/IBN
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