Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman commissioned the newest anti-submarine warfare (ASW) corvette into the navy on Monday. The Corvette (warship) INS Kiltan will enable the force to detect and target hostile vessels and to provide protection to Indian warships.

The indigenously built  INS Kiltan was commissioned into the navy in the presence of navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba at the Naval Dockyard at Visakhapatnam.

INS Kiltan is the third of the four ASW corvettes to be built under the Rs 7,800-crore Project 28. The other two Corvettes that have already been commissioned into the navy are INS Kamorta and INS Kadmatt.

The warships have been designed by the Navy's Directorate of Naval Design. INS Kiltan is the first major warship to have a superstructure of carbon fibre composite material imported from Sweden, resulting in improved stealth features and lower weight and maintenance costs. It is 100 tonnes lighter than the previous Corvettes.

The warship has a length of 109 meters and measures 14 meters at the beam. It is propelled by four diesel engines to achieve speeds in excess of 25 knots with an endurance of 3,450 nautical miles. A crew of 13 officers and 178 sailors will man the warship.

 INS Kiltan is armed with heavyweight torpedoes, ASW rockets, 76 mm caliber medium range gun and two multi-barrel 30 mm guns. Its installed propulsion and auxiliary systems help to lower the underwater noise which is a requirement for anti-submarine warfare.