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Last Updated: 18 December 2008

The BrahMos missile being test fired vertically on 18 December 2008 from INS Ranvir. Image © MoD

Image © Mrityunjoy Mazumdar

Image © Mrityunjoy Mazumdar

INS Ranjit. Image © Indian Navy

INS Ranvijay. Image © Indian Navy

INS Rana, at dusk, floating atop a velvet blanket of sea. Image © Indian Navy

INS Rajput fires her RBU-6000 mortor. The 76mm gun, the S-125M SAM launcher and the P-20M AShM launcher can be clearly seen. Image © India Defence Consultants

INS Ranjit shoots off one of her four P-20M AShMs during a live fire exercise. Image © Indian Navy

INS Rajput on the high seas. Can anyone explain why nearly a large number of her personnel are huddled together in the rear? Image © Indian Navy

A member of the press tries out the jack-stay transfer for the first time. He is being transferred to INS Ranvijay. Image © Indian Navy via Kapil Chandni

A sailor transfers over to INS Ranvijay. Note the open canisters which house the P-20M (SS-N-2D Styx) AShM. Image © Indian Navy via Kapil Chandni

A pair of S-125M surface-to-air missiles get armed & ready. Image © Indian Navy

A line drawing of the Rajput Class destroyer

RAJPUT {KASHIN II} CLASS

Vessel Type: Guided Missile Destroyer.

Names & Pennant Numbers with commission dates:
INS Rajput D51 (30 September 1980)
INS Rana D52 (28 June 1982)
 INS Ranjit D53 (24 November 1983)
INS Ranvir D54 (28 October 1986)
INS Ranvijay D55 (15 January 1988)

Structure: The helicopter hanger has been replaced by a lift from the flight deck. The 76mm twin mount gun and the four launchers which house the P-20M (SS-N-2D Styx) AShMs are sited forward of the bridge.

Displacement: 3950 tons standard.
 ...................4974 tons full load.

Dimensions: Length - 147 metres.
.................Beam - 15.8 metres.
.................Draught - 5 metres.

Main Machinery: Four 72,000 hp gas turbine engines and two shafts.

Maximum Speed: 35 knots.

Maximum Range: 4000 miles at 18 knots.
 .......................2600 miles at 30 knots.

Complement: 320 (incl. 35 Officers).

Radar: Navigation; Two Volga (NATO: Don Kay) radar at I-band frequency.
 .........Air; One MP-500 Kliver (NATO: Big Net-A) radar at C-band (range - 100n miles; 183 km).
 ...............One Bharat RAWL (Dutch Signaal LW-08) radar at IEEE L-Band frequency corresponding to NATO D-Band frequency fitted on INS Ranjit and INS Ranvir, replacing the MP-500 radar.
.........Air/Surface; One MR-310U Angara (NATO: Head Net-C) radar at E-band frequency (range - 70n miles; 128 km).
..........................One EL/M-2238 STAR radar at IEEE S-Band frequency corresponding to NATO 'E' and 'F' band frequencies, have been fitted on INS Ranvir and INS Ranvijay replacing the MR-310U radar.
.........Fire Control; Refer to 'Weapons' sub-section.
 .........Communication; Inmarsat is fitted.

Sonar: One hull mounted Vycheda MG-311 (NATO: Wolf Paw) sonar with active search & attack with medium frequency. Also has a Vyega MG-325 (NATO: Mare Tail) variable depth sonar in active search with medium frequency.

Weapons: INS Rajput, INS Ranvir and INS Ranvijay are armed with the PJ-10 (BrahMos) supersonic, cruise missile. INS Rajput served as the trials platform for the BrahMos missile, with the four P-20M single launchers (port and starboard) having being replaced with two boxed launchers each carrying a pair of PJ-10 (BrahMos) missiles. The BrahMos missile has been successfully test fired a number of times from INS Rajput, however a test on 15 April 2005 involved a moving target --> which was a decommissioned vessel of the Indian Navy. The targeted ship ended up in pieces, due to the power of the missile and its kinetic energy derived from its supersonic speed. INS Rajput also served as the test platform for the Dhanush ballistic missile. The missile was successfully tested on 30 March 2007. INS Ranvir has been fitted with a universal vertical missile launcher, housing the BrahMos missile, near the helicopter deck. The missile was test-fired vertically for the first time on 18 December 2008 and all mission objectives were successfully met. INS Rana and INS Ranjit feature four P-20M (NATO: SS-N-2D) missiles, in single-tube launchers, with infra-red homing to 45n miles; 83 km at 0.9 Mach. The missile, which has a 513 kg conventional warhead, becomes a sea skimmer at the end of it's run.

One twin 76mm main gun with 80º elevation and 90 rounds/min to 8n miles; 15km with fire control provided by one MR-105 Turel (NATO: Owl Screech) radar at G-band. In the CIWS role, INS Rajput and INS Rana are fitted with four 30mm AK-230 gun-mounts with 85º elevation and 500 rounds/min to 2.7n miles; 5 km with fire control provided by two MR-104 Rys (NATO: Drum Tilt) radar at H/I-band frequency. INS Ranjit has had its AK-230 gun-mounts replaced with four 30mm AK-630M gun-mounts with an unspecified fire control director. It is possible that a BEL-developed AIO (Action Information Organisation) system will be installed. INS Ranvir and INS Ranvijay have four 30mm AK-630M gun-mounts with 85º elevation and 3000 rounds/min to 2 km with fire control provided by two MR-123 Vympel (NATO: Bass Tilt) radar. One (or probably both) of the last two vessels have had a pair of their AK-630M gun-mounts replaced with the Barak SAM system, with fire control provided by a pair of EL/M-2221 STGR radar.

A pair of twin launchers is fitted with the S-125M (NATO: SA-N-1) SAM. This surface-to-air missile has a range of 17n miles; 31.5 km at Mach 2+. The missile has a 60 kg warhead weight and has a maximum altitude of 75,000 ft. The missiles, total of 44 on-board, have some surface-to-surface capability. Fire control is provided by two Parus (NATO: Peel Group) radar at H/I-band frequency with a range of 40n miles (73 km).

One 533mm PTA 533 quintuple torpedo tube launcher is fitted amid ship. These vessels are armed with the SET-65E; anti-submarine, active & passive homing torpedo to 8.1n miles; 15 km at 40 knots with a 205 kg warhead and the Type 53-65; passive wake homing torpedo to 10.3n miles; 19 km at 45 knots with a 305 kg warhead.

Two RBU-6000 anti-submarine mortars with 12 tubes and a range of 6000 meters. The maximum target submarine engagement depth is 500 meters.

Combat Data System: It is possible than an Italian combat data system compatible with Selenia IPN-10 is installed.

Helicopter Capacity: Has one helicopter pad in the aft of the vessel which carries the Ka-28 Helix-A. Can also carry the HAL Chetak helicopter.

Countermeasures: INS Rajput has an EW (Electronic Warfare) suite which comprises a Bharat Ajanta ESM system. Installation of this EW suite could have occurred in 1993/1994. Reportedly the other vessels in the class will have their Russian-designed ESM systems replaced with the Ajanta ESM system. Four barrelled chaff launchers are used as radar decoys.

Comments: The Rajput Class destroyers were export versions of the modified Kashin Class destroyer and were built at the Nikolaev North Shipyard in Russia. These vessels were built after considerable modifications to the original design. The helicopter pad in the original design was replaced with a flight elevator. These vessels were designed to fulfill a variety of roles including anti-air and anti-submarine warfare to defend task forces from submarines, low-flying aircraft and cruise missiles. Construction began after an interval of nearly a decade following the conclusion of building this class for the Russian Navy and significant delays were experienced in the delivery of this batch.

Notable Incidents: INS Ranvir, along with INS Mysore, were anchored just outside Sri Lankan territorial waters to provide security for Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and other high ranking Indian diplomats at the 15th SAARC Summit, which was held from 01 - 03 August 2008.

INS Ranjit and INS Suvarna proceeded to Mozambique in June 2003 on a diplomatic mission. On 25 June 2003, this pair of vessels attended Mozambique's 28th independence anniversary celebrations and presented medicines & related medical equipment to the Vice Minister of Health of Mozambique on board INS Suvarna. At the request of President Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique, who boarded these vessels on 30 June 2003, the ships remained in the area to provide cover for the African Heads of States Union, which was held from 4th to 12th July 2003. They also trained the Mozambique Navy and weaved bonds of friendship during their stay.

Sailors arm a launcher with a S-125M surface-to-air missile. Image © Indian NavyThe twin boxed launcher of the Brahmos ASCM can be clearly seen on INS Rajput, which lies docked along with sister ship INS Ranjit, at Singapore's Changi Naval Base in July 2005. INS Rajput along with INS Ranjit, missile corvette INS Khukri and replenishment tanker INS Shakti formed the task group assigned to aircraft carrier INS Viraat during her visit to the country. Image © Lu J WenAn amid-ship shot of INS Rajput (foreground) & INS Ranjit (background) illustrates the physical differences between the AK-230 gunmounts on INS Rajput and the AK-630M gunmounts on INS Ranjit. Curiously, in this picture there is no evidence of a gunfire control director, for the AK-630M gunmounts, aboard INS Ranjit. Image © Lu J Wen A more close up and detailed shot of the image above. Image © Lu J Wen

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