INS Airavat (L24)

INS Airavat is the third Shardul-class amphibious warfare vessel of the Indian Navy.

The INS Airavat sails out of Visakhapatnam harbour after commissioning on 19 May 2009
History
India
Name: INS Airavat[1]
Namesake: Indra's mount
Builder: Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers
Yard number: Yard 3016[2]
Commissioned: 19 May 2009
Homeport: Visakhapatnam
Identification: pennant number: L24
Status: in active service
Badge:
General characteristics
Class and type: Shardul-class tank landing ship[3]
Displacement: 5650 tons
Length: 125 m (410 ft)
Beam: 17.5 m (57 ft)
Draught: 4 m (13 ft)
Propulsion: Kirloskar PA6 STC engines
Speed: 16 kn (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Capacity:
  • 11 MBT
  • 10 infantry trucks or APC
  • 500 troops
Troops: 500
Complement: 11 officers, 145 sailors
Electronic warfare
& decoys:		 Chaff launchers
Armament:
  • 2 × WM-18 rocket launchers
  • 4 × CRN-91 AA (Naval 30 mm Medak) guns, MANPAD's
  • shoulder-launched IGLA SAMs
Aircraft carried: 1 Westland Sea King or HAL Dhruv[4]

History

INS Airavat was built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers in Kolkata at Yard 3016.[2] She began sea trials in July 2008 after completing basin trials in May. She was commissioned at the Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam on 19 May 2009, by the Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Sureesh Mehta. She is named for the mount of god Indra, the elephant Airavata, as mentioned in the Rigveda.[5]

Design

Safety features aboard the Airavat include anti-roll flume stabilisation system, smoke curtains to impede spreading of smoke and toxic gases in case of fire, as well as battle damage control systems. Fully loaded, she can operate independently at high seas for up to 45 days.[4]

While primarily designed for amphibious assault operations, Airavat's missions also include humanitarian assistance & disaster relief (HADR) during natural disasters, including tsunamis, cyclones and earthquakes. She has a fully functioning hospital on board, the capacity to carry 500 soldiers, and can provide stern refuelling for other naval vessels.

Primary suppliers for her equipment are Bharat Electronics Limited, Kirloskar, Larsen & Toubro, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Keltron and the Godrej Group.

Deployments

On 11 July 2011, INS Airavat made a goodwill visit to Sihanoukville, Cambodia. Between 19 and 28 July 2011, she made courtesy calls at Nha Trang and Hai Phong in Vietnam.[6][7]

On 1 May 2016, INS Airavat arrived at Brunei to participate in the ADMM Plus (ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus) Exercise on Maritime Security and Counter Terrorism(Ex MS & CT) which took place from 1–9 May 2016. During the exercise, she engaged with participating navies from Brunei, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, China, Japan, Russia, Australia, Republic of Korea and the United States, through professional interactions in harbor and complex operations at sea.[8]

References
  1. Archived 19 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Indian Navy Commissions INS Airavat, Landing Ship Tank". MarineBuzz.com. 19 May 2009. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  3. "Shardul class". Bharat Rakshak. 4 January 2007. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  4. "INS Airavat (Landing Ship Tank)". StratPost. 19 May 2009. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  5. "LST(L) Shardul". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  6. "Indian Navy downplays Chinese warning to its warship". Daily News & Analysis. PTI. 1 September 2011. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  7. Dutta, Sujan (17 September 2011). "China in mind, salute & port plea to Vietnam". The Telegraph. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  8. "ADMM Plus Exercise on Maritime Security and Counter Terrorism at Brunei". Business Standard. 2 May 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
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