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The Indian Navy is all set to commission its latest Stealth Guided Missile Destroyer Imphal at Naval Dockyard, Mumbai on December 26, in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh as the chief guest, the Ministry of Defence said in an official statement.
The event marks the formal induction into the Navy of the third of four 'Visakhapatnam' class destroyers, indigenously designed by the Indian Navy's in-house organisation, Warship Design Bureau and constructed by Mazagon Dock Limited, Mumbai. Notably, Imphal is the first warship to have been named after a city from the North East, the approval for which was accorded by the President on 16 April 2019, thus underlining the importance of the region for national security, sovereignty and prosperity. Imphal was delivered to the Indian Navy on 20 October 2023 after completing a rigorous and comprehensive trial programme both in the harbour and at sea. According to the statement, the ship successfully test-fired the extended-range supersonic BrahMos missile in November 2023, a first for any indigenous warship before commissioning, thus demonstrating the Navy's thrust on combat effectiveness and confidence in its cutting-edge indigenous weapons and platforms. Following this milestone achievement, the ship's crest was unveiled by the Defence Minister in New Delhi on 28 November 2023, in the presence of the Chief Minister of Manipur and other senior dignitaries. Upon commissioning, INS Imphal will join the Western Naval Command. (ANI)
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