INS Kochi (D64)

INS Kochi is the second ship of the s built for the Indian Navy. She was constructed at Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) located in Mumbai. After undergoing extensive sea trials, she was commissioned to Indian Navy service on 30 September 2015. INS Kochi has been built under the code name of Project 15 Alpha.

Construction
The keel of Kochi was laid in 25 October 2005. In keeping with the tradition of the Navy, the warship was launched by Madhulika Verma, wife of Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Nirmal Kumar Verma, at 11.20 a.m. 18 September 2009 from the Mazagon Dock in Mumbai. For the first time, Mazagon Docks used a "pontoon assisted" launching method in collaboration with a Russian firm Baltisky Zavod. Under this method, pontoons are welded to the hull, which give buoyancy and helps overcome tidal constraints. Mazagon plans to use this method for all future ship launches, as the process makes it possible to launch ships with much higher weight.

Weapon trials
On 1 November 2015 the Navy successfully test-fired the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from Kochi. The missile hit its target, a decommissioned ship called INS Alleppey, with almost pinpoint accuracy during this first-ever vertical launch from the 7,500-tonne INS Kochi.

Design
INS Kochi is the largest India-made warship, till the time of its commissioning. The warship is designed by the Navy's in-house organisation, directorate of naval design, and it is constructed by Mazagon Dock Ship builders Ltd in Mumbai. It has displacement of 7,500 tons and it is 164 m in length and 17 m at the beam and is propelled by four gas turbines and designed to achieve speeds in excess of 30 kn. The ship has built with advanced stealth features which have been achieved through shaping of hull and use of radar-transparent deck fittings. A bow mounted sonar dome, the second of its kind in an indigenous naval platform, has been introduced to enhance sonar acoustic performance.The ship has a complement of about 40 officers and 350 sailors.