“The time taken to build Imphal and for her
trials is the shortest for any indigenous destroyer,†the Navy said.
Imphal’s keel was laid on May 19, 2017 and the ship was launched into
water on 20 April 2019. Imphal sailed out for her maiden sea trials on 28 April
2023 and completed a comprehensive schedule of trials, both in the harbor and
at sea, leading up to its Delivery on 20 October 2023, within a record time
frame of six months - the fastest for a ship of its size.â€
The ship once commissioned will join the
Western Naval Command. Imphal is a
state-of-the-art warship, designed by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau
and built by MDL, with significant contributions from the public and private
sectors, including MSMEs, and the Defense Research and Development
Organisation.
Measuring 163
meters in length, displacing 7,400 tons and with 75% indigenous content, Imphal
can rightfully be regarded as one of the most potent warships to have been
constructed in India. The ship is
equipped to fight under Nuclear, Biological and Chemical warfare conditions and
has a high degree of automation and stealth features.