Rajnath Singh Unveils Crest Of INS Imphal, Depicting Northeastern City's Heritage

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh unveiled the crest of INS Imphal on Tuesday in presence on Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh.

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Naval Staff Adm R Hari Kumar and others unveil the crest of INS Imphal ( Image Source :PTI )

Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday unveiled the crest of Yard 12706 (Imphal), the third amongst the four Project 15B stealth guided missile destroyers, in New Delhi. The event was attended by Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh, along with Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar and other officials of Ministry of Defence and Manipur government. 

INS Imphal was designed by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau and built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Mumbai which delivered it to the Indian Navy on October 20 this year. 

VIDEO | Defence minister Rajnath Singh unveils crest of INS Imphal in Delhi. pic.twitter.com/W2gDkNWYc3

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 28, 2023

"Honoured to join the unveiling of 'INS Imphal', the impressive third ship in the Navy's Project 15B, Visakhapatnam Class," said Manipur CM in a post on X. 

Later Manipur Navy officers called on the CM and breifed him about the INS Imphal. 

Manipuri Navy Officers called on me to give a briefing about the INS Imphal in New Delhi today.

Meeting and having an interaction with them as a part of the historic occasion gave me immense pride and joy. I wish them all the best in their future endeavours. pic.twitter.com/uMICKAgvBC

— N.Biren Singh (@NBirenSingh) November 28, 2023

"Meeting and having an interaction with them as a part of the historic occasion gave me immense pride and joy. I wish them all the best in their future endeavours," the CM said. 

About INS Imphal 

In a statement released by the Ministry of Defence on Tuesday, it said that the crest of the ship depicts the Kangla Palace on the left and ‘Kangla-Sa’ on the right. The 'Kangla-Sa' is a mythical character from Manipur history with a dragon's head and lion's body, is symbolised as the guardian/protector of its people. The 'Kangla-Sa' is also the state emblem of Manipur. 

"A guided missile destroyer with a displacement of 7,400 tons and overall length of 164 meters, Imphal is a potent and versatile platform equipped with state-of-the-art weapons and sensors, including surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship missiles and torpedoes," said the ministry in its statement. 

Powered by Combined Gas and Gas (COGAG) propulsion, the ship is capable of achieving speeds in excess of 30 knots, it added. 

The INS Imphal is equipped with around 75 per cent of indigenously made parts which include following: 

• Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missiles (BEL, Bangalore)
• BrahMos Surface-to-Surface Missiles (BrahMos Aerospace, New Delhi)
• Indigenous Torpedo Tube Launchers (Larsen & Toubro, Mumbai)
• Anti-Submarine Indigenous Rocket Launchers (Larsen & Toubro, Mumbai)
• 76mm Super Rapid Gun Mount (BHEL, Haridwar)

The INS Imphal’s keel was laid on May 19, 2017 and it was launched into waters on April 20, 2019. The ship set out on a maiden sea trial on April 28, 2023, and has undergone a comprehensive schedule of trials in harbour and at sea, leading up to its delivery on October 20, 2023 within a record time-frame of six months, the ministry said.