Indian Navy Ships – INS Kolkata, INS Shakti to Participate in Chinese International Fleet Review on April 23

Indian Navy warships would be participating in Chinese international fleet review which is to be held at Qingdao on April 23. These two Naval ships are – the destroyer INS Kolkata and tanker INS Shakti. Chinese President Xi Jinping will review the warships. The Indian Naval ships will reach Qingdao on  April 21.The international review fleet is being held as part of the celebrations of the 70th Anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army’s Navy. IAF’s Tejas-MK1 Front Runner to Bag Aircraft Contract of Royal Malaysian Air Force; Pakistan’s JF-17, South Korea’s FA-50 Golden Eagle Also in Race.

According to reports, major navies are likely to take part in it. The Indian Navy tweeted, “Indigenous Stealth Destroyer #INSKolkata & Fleet Tanker #INSShakti to represent India & participate in International Fleet Review at Qingdao, China as part of the 70th Anniversary celebrations of PLA(Navy). Ships 2reach on 21 Apr.” Indian Navy’s Virtual Reality Centre For Designing Warships Inaugurated by Admiral Sunil Lanba.

Indigenous Stealth Destroyer #INSKolkata & Fleet Tanker #INSShakti to represent India & participate in International Fleet Review at Qingdao, China as part of the 70th Anniversary celebrations of PLA(Navy). Ships 2reach on 21Apr @SpokespersonMoD @EOIBeijing @VikramMisri pic.twitter.com/D50q6GMFW0

— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) April 19, 2019

International Fleet Review (IFR) is a parade of naval ships, aircraft, and submarines. It is being organised by nations to promote goodwill, strengthen cooperation and showcase their organisational capabilities. It is also an opportunity for the various countries to showcase their indigenous ship designing and shipbuilding capabilities to the world. IFR also serves as an ideal platform for the world’s navies to showcase their prowess and indigenous ship designing and shipbuilding capabilities in the international arena. Indian Navy to Get MH-60 ‘Romeo’ Seahawk Helicopters Soon; US Approves USD 2.6 Billion Deal.

INS Kolkata is the lead ship of the Kolkata-class stealth guided-missile destroyers of the Indian Navy. It was constructed at Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL). The ship was commissioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a ceremony held on August 16, 2014. It is equipped with state-of-the-art weapons and sensors which are useful in every dimension of the naval warfare. Meanwhile the INS Shakti is a Deepak-class fleet tanker. It was built by Fincantieri, an Italian shipbuilding company based in Trieste.  It is one of the largest tankers displacing over 27,000 tonnes and capable of carrying 15,000 tonnes of liquid cargo and over 500 tonnes of solid cargo including victuals and ammunition.

(Picture Courtesy: Twitter/@SpokespersonNavy)