INS Kattabomman

2022-04-09T16:24:57Z

2003:DF:1F27:FF56:4405:FEB9:D7A4:1A86:

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Infobox military installation
|name = INS Kattabomman
|native_name =
|partof =
|location = [[Tirunelveli]], [[Tamil Nadu]]
|image = INS Kattabomman.jpg
|caption = INS Kattabomman, VLF transmitting station of Indian Navy
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|type = Naval station
|coordinates =
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|built = {{Start date|1990}}
|builder =
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|used = 1990–present
|demolished =
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|ownership =
|open_to_public =
|controlledby = [[Indian Navy]]
|garrison =
|current_commander =
|commanders =
|occupants = [[Southern Naval Command]]
|battles =
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}}

'''INS Kattabomman''' is the designation of the VLF-transmission facility of the [[Indian Navy]] situated at [[Vijayanarayanam]] near [[Tirunelveli]] in [[Tamil Nadu]].<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=https://www.indiannavy.nic.in/content/ins-kattabomman|title=INS Kattabomman|publisher=Indian Navy|access-date=15 July 2019}}</ref> The facility spread over 3,000 acres has 13 masts, which are arranged in two rings around the central mast. The centre mast has a height of 301 metres, the masts on the inner ring measure 276.4 metres, that on the outer ring measure 227.4 metres.

Two further masts of the station carrying an umbrella antenna, the INS Kattabomman is 471 metres tall and the tallest structure in India. They are also the [[List of tallest buildings and structures in the world#Tallest structure by category|tallest military structure in the world]]. The facility opened an [[Extremely low frequency|ELF]] transmission facility in 2014.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Navy-gets-new-facility-to-communicate-with-nuclear-submarines-prowling-underwater/articleshow/39371121.cms |title=Navy gets new facility to communicate with nuclear submarines prowling underwater | work=The Times of India| date= 31 July 2014 }}</ref><ref name="elf" />

== History ==
[[File:Antenna at INS Kattabomman.jpg|thumb|left|One of the Antennas at INS Kattabomman.]]

Development and construction of INS Kattabomman started in 1984 as Project Skylark and costed {{INRConvert|122|c|lk=|year=1991}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/science-and-technology/story/19910215-vlf-naval-communication-station-ins-kattabomman-commissioned-in-tamil-nadu-814007-1991-02-15|title=VLF naval communication station INS Kattabomman commissioned in Tamil Nadu|date=February 15, 1991|website=[[India Today]]|access-date=14 December 2019}}</ref> It was commissioned into service by Indian President [[Ramaswamy Venkataraman]] on 20 October 1990. It is named after king [[Veerapandiya Kattabomman|Veera Pandya Kattabomman]], who died during the [[Indian independence movement]].<ref name=":0" />

After operationalising the base, India became the seventh country in the world to have developed the [[Very low frequency]] communication capability.<ref name="hindu">{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Madurai/new-commanding-officer-for-ins-kattabomman/article18949638.ece|title=New Commanding Officer for INS Kattabomman|date=2017-06-09|work=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=2019-12-14|others=Special Correspondent|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

== Further development ==
=== VLF upgrades ===
On 31 July 2014, a new [[Very low frequency]] facility was inaugurated at INS Kattabomman.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=107755|title=VLF Transmitting Station Commissioned at Tamil Nadu|date=31 July 2014|website=[[Ministry of Defence (India)|Ministry of Defence]]|via=[[Press Information Bureau]]|access-date=14 December 2019}}</ref> The upgrade included digitising the control interface.<ref name="hindu" />

=== Extremely low frequency facility ===
An [[Extremely low frequency]] communication facility is also present near the VLF facility, construction of which commenced in March 2012.<ref name="elf">{{cite news|url=http://www.janes.com/article/11147/india-makes-headway-with-elf-site-construction|title=India makes headway with ELF site construction|date=28 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223135343/http://www.janes.com/article/11147/india-makes-headway-with-elf-site-construction|archive-date=23 February 2014}}</ref> The facility is used by the [[Nuclear Command Authority (India)|Nuclear Command Authority]] to communicate with the [[Arihant-class submarine|Arihant-class of submarines]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/up-front/story/19700101-nuclear-capability-the-arihant-watershed-1384926-2018-11-10|title=Nuclear Capability: The Arihant Watershed|last=Unnithan|first=Sandeep|date=November 10, 2018|website=[[India Today]]|language=en|access-date=2019-12-14}}</ref>

India is the second country after [[Russia]] to actively operate an [[Extremely low frequency]] facility; the [[United States]] had discontinued using it in 2004. Another such facility is proposed in [[Damagundam Reserve Forest]] (approximately at 17°16'N 77°56'E ).<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/india-to-be-second-country-to-use-elf-facility/article18517424.ece|title=India to be second country to use ELF facility|date=2017-05-20|work=The Hindu|access-date=2019-12-14|others=Special Correspondent|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

==See also==
; Indian navy
* [[List of Indian Navy bases]]
* [[List of active Indian Navy ships]]

; Integrated commands and units
* [[Armed Forces Special Operations Division]]
* [[Defence Cyber Agency]]
* [[Integrated Defence Staff]]
* [[Integrated Space Cell]]
* [[Nuclear Command Authority (India)|Indian Nuclear Command Authority]]
* [[Indian Armed Forces]]
* [[Special Forces of India]]

; Other topics
* [[Strategic Forces Command]]
* [[List of Indian Air Force stations]]
* [[List of Indian Navy bases]]
* [[List of countries with overseas military bases#India|India's overseas military bases]]
*[[Veerapandiya Kattabomman]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Indian Navy}}
{{coord|8.3870|N|77.7529|E|source:wikidata|display=title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:INS Kattabomman}}
[[Category:Communication towers in India]]
[[Category:Indian Navy bases|Katta]]
[[Category:1990 establishments in Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Towers completed in 1990]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Tamil Nadu]]

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INS Kattabomman