INS Rajput D 51 30 Sep 1980

INS Rajput D 51 30 Sep 1980

                                                             

The Rajput class guided-missile destroyers are also known as Kashin-II class. The ships were built in the former Soviet Union.These ships are the first ships in the Indian Navy to deploy the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile systems. The role of Rajput class ships is involves protection such as anti-aircraft and anti-submarine warfare for carr ier task force defense against submarines, low-flying aircraft, and cruise missiles..
INS Rajput (D51) is a guided-missile destroyer and the lead ship of the Rajput class destroyers of the Indian Navy. She was commissioned on September 30, 1980. Commodore (later Vice Admiral) Gulab Mohanlal Hiranandani was her first commanding officer.
INS Rajput served as a trial platform for the BrahMos cruise missile. The 2 P-20M inclined single launchers (port and starboard) were replaced by two boxed launchers, each with 2 Brahmos cells. A new variant of the Prithvi-III missile was test fired from Rajput on March 2007.[2] She is capable of attacking land targets, as well as fulfilling anti-aircraft and anti-submarine roles as a taskforce or carrier escort.[3] The Rajput tracked the Dhanush Ballistic missile during a successful test in 2005.