Indian Navy inducts new warship INS Kalpeni

The Indian Navy inducted the fast attack craft INS Kalpeni at the naval base in Kochi on Thursday, bolstering the capabilities of the Southern Naval Command in coastal surveillance and search and destruction of fast-moving targets.

The ceremony was attended by Kerala Chief Justice Jasti Chelameswar. The ship is propelled by three powerful water jets that can achieve speed in excess of 35 knots.

The ship, commanded by Lieutenant Commander Subhal Nathan, has a crew of three officers and 38 sailors.

INS Kalpeni is the seventh in a batch of 10 ships being built at the Garden Reach Shipyard in Kolkota.

Rear Admiral K C Shekar, chairman and managing director of the Garden Reach Shipyard, said the ship with nearly 95 percent indigenous content was built in 24 months.

The ship has been fitted with 11 machineguns and shoulder-launched IGLA surface-to-air missiles to neutralise aerial threats.