PROJECT 28 CLASS

Vessel Type: ASW (anti-submarine warfare) corvette.

Displacement: 2500 tons - standard displacement.

Dimensions: Length - 110 metres.
.................Beam - Not Known.
.................Draught - Not Known.

Maximum Speed: 28 to 32 knots.

Main Machinery: Will be powered by four Pielstick 12 PA6 STC engines, each rated at 4270 Kw.

The Project 28 (P28) ASW corvette will be the Indian Navy's new anti-submarine warfare (ASW) surface combatant for the 21st century. Four units were ordered in 2003 and 12 units are planned in all. The program has been delayed by over a year partly because the design was not frozen in time and some key decisions were late in being finalized. Plate cutting of the first vessel took place on 12 August 2005, some 18 months after it was originally planned. Build time is expected to be less than 48 months, which will be further reduced over time. In the meantime, packages are being tied up with foreign and Indian vendors for equipment and sensors for the first four vessels. Scheduled commissioning of the first unit is planned for mid-2009, with subsequent deliveries every 15-18 months or so. Plans are afoot to use fully modular construction methods in the second batch to cut down build time to 36 months or less. Work is underway on a modular corvette design on the basis of this design with three different propulsion layouts for export and to the Indian Navy as well, as a follow on proposal to the first four ships. The vessels will be built at Kolkata's premier ship-building establishment, Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) and the ship builder expects a follow on order from the Indian Navy shortly. In a news article from the Press Trust of India, dated 30 October 2005, Rear Admiral T S Ganeshan (Retd) - GRSE's Chairman & Managing Director - said, "It is a 2500 ton corvette armed with stealth-mounted guns, the latest electronic warfare suite which, together with other key operational equipment and is shielded using stealth technology incorporated into the design of the bulwarks. The structure of the ship would be such that it would cut down noise drastically to prevent it from getting detected by enemy submarines. But it will be able to detect an enemy submarine from a distance and destroy it."

A 3D drawing of the Project 28 ASW corvette. Not all weapon and sensor details are shown. [Image © Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers]

Contrary to earlier reports, this vessel is not an adaptation of the Russian Project 2038.0 (Steregushchy Class) design. Rather, the Indian Navy provided the basic design with a detail design by GRSE. Displacing around 2500 tons and a length of around 110 metres, this vessel is a corvette in name only - it is actually closer to a small frigate. This vessel is to have a very high content of Indian made equipment – either designed locally, built under license or through new technology transfer agreements. The DMR 249A hull steel is produced locally by SAIL (Steel Authority of India Limited). With a sloped topside design, its appearance resembles that of the Project 17 frigate. To be powered by a CODAD (COmbined Diesel And Diesel) propulsion system, top speeds are likely to be of the order of 28 to 32 knots. The engines are likely to be four Pielstick 12 PA6 STC engines rated at 4270 Kw each. Special attention has been paid to reduce acoustic, magnetic, infra-red and radar cross section signatures. To this end, main machinery is raft mounted to reduce acoustic and vibration signatures. Each gear unit and the associated engines will be mounted on a common raft. The vessel will feature automated control and battle damage systems.  Other signature management control features are built in to combat the ship's infrared, radar-cross signature, noise and magnetic outputs. Electricity is supplied via four diesel generators, while two independent interconnected switchboards optimize redundancy and reliability. Armament is to include a license-built Oto Melara 76mm Super Rapid gun in a stealth mount and the usual assortment of weapons similar to what is found on the Talwar Class and Project 17 frigates including a Klub-N missile system, two Larsen & Tubro built derivatives of the RBU-6000 anti-submarine rocket launcher and Larsen & Tubro built torpedo launchers. Revati, the naval variant of the DRDO-made Central Acquisition Radar (CAR), which is capable of tracking 150 targets at ranges of 200 km, is a confirmed sensor aboard the vessel. Hangar and aviation facilities will also be standard features.

DCNS' raft-mounted engine. [Image © DCNS]

It was announced on 21 December 2006 that GRSE awarded France's DCNS a contract to provide a comprehensive engineering package of raft-mounted Propulsion Power Transmission Systems (PPTS) for the four corvettes. Under the contract, DCNS will deliver four propulsion packages (including eight reduction gear units on cradles and either thrust blocks) to GRSE. The company will also provide support to GRSE for the mechanical integration of the propulsion plant. DCNS is partnering with Walchandnagar Industries Limited, to provide the raft mounts and other components, including thrust blocks and systems auxiliaries. The first propulsion package is scheduled for delivery on 27 March 2008, with the remaining three to follow at the rate of one per year till 2011.

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