INS Rajput was a guided-missile destroyer and the lead ship of the Template:Sclass of the Indian Navy. It was commissioned on 4 May 1980. It was the first destroyer of the Indian Navy. It was built by the erstwhile USSR. Commodore (later Vice Admiral) Gulab Mohanlal Hiranandani was her first commanding officer.
Rajput served as a trial platform for the BrahMos cruise missile. The 4 P-20M inclined single launchers (2 port and 2 starboard) were replaced by 8 boxed launchers (4 port and 4 starboard) with each having ability to carry one BrahMos cruise missile. A new variant of the Prithvi-III missile was test fired from Rajput on March 2007.[1] She is capable of attacking land targets, as well as fulfilling anti-aircraft and anti-submarine roles as a taskforce or carrier escort.[2] Rajput tracked the Dhanush ballistic missile during a successful test in 2005.[3]
The ship was decommissioned from service on 21 May 2021 at the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam.[4][5] She has participated in several important missions over the years, including Operation Aman off the coast of Sri Lanka to assist the Indian Peace Keeping Force during Srilankan Civil War, Operation Pawan, for patrolling duties off the coast of Sri Lanka, Operation Cactus to resolve hostage situation off the Maldives, and Operation Crowsnest off Lakshadweep.[6][7]
References
- ↑ Dhanush, naval surface-to-surface missile, test fired successfully. domain-b.com(31 March 2007). Retrieved 6 July 2019.
- ↑ Template:Cite press release
- ↑ Prithvi SRBM, Vishwakarma, Arun. Bharat Rakshak(2005-12-28).
- ↑ INS Rajput to be Decommissioned on 21 May 21. PIB(2021-05-20).
- ↑ Template:Cite tweet
- ↑ INS Rajput to be decommissioned today after 41 years of service. The Hindu(2021-05-20). Retrieved 2021-05-22.
- ↑ Soviet Pioneer Retires Ships Monthly July 2021 page 14
External links
Template:Kashin-class destroyer Template:Destroyers of the Indian Navy