INS Airavat (L24)

INS Airavat (L24) is the third Shardul class amphibious warfare vessel of the Indian Navy.

History
INS Airavat was built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers in Kolkata at Yard 3016. 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.

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.

While primarily designed for amphibious assault operations, Airavat's missions also include Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief (HADR) during natural disasters, including tsunamis, cyclones, earthquakes, etc. She has a full-functioning hospital on-board, the capacity to carry 500 soldiers, and can provide stern refueling 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.