Thread: INS Betwa is India's first warship with combat data systems

SOMEWHERE IN THE ARABIAN SEA: Guided missile frigate, Betwa , has reserved a place for itself in the navy’s hall of fame by becoming the first Indian warship to have successfully integrated indigenous combat data systems with a wide variety of foreign/Indian weapons and sensors onboard.

Commissioned into the Navy last July, the steampowered frigate has combined Bharat Electronics Ltd-designed EMCCA (Equipment Modular for Command and Control Application) systems with its gunnery, anti-submarine weapons and sensors to synchronise the ship’s fighting capabilities.

Other naval ships have married European/Russian technology platforms with their weapons and sensors in a fashion that enables commanders to arrive at accurate engagement decisions during combat.

Dubbed as ‘ The Tenacious Torrent’ , Betwa belongs to the Brahmaputra class of guided missile frigates. While Brahmaputra was the first warship to be equipped with the BEL combat data systems four years ago, it is Betwa that has validated the indigenous technology platform.
The 3,600-tonne missile frigate is equipped with a wide range of weapons, including Russian Uran missiles, Israeli Deseaver Mk II chaff launchers, Italian torpedoes and close-in weapon systems of Russian origin.

The frigate also carries two Seaking choppers capable of firing torpedoes and Sea Eagle anti-ship missiles. Israeli Barak surface-to-air missiles will pack extra punch for Betwa next year.

C S Murthy, Captain of INS Betwa , told TOI , “The integrated systems have been tested to an extreme. She (Betwa) has responded beautifully.’’ Incidentally, Murthy was among the team of naval officers which conducted trials and approved Italian data systems for Indian ships in the 1980s.

Betwa’s anti-submarine warfare officer, Lt Cdr Sharad Parti, said, “Disjointed information is of no use when the threat can be from air, surface or sub-surface. The EMMCA system gives commanders on the ship a consolidated tactical picture. It adds to the ship’s maritime combat power.’’

Commodore R P S Ravi, director, Maritime Warfare Centre, Mumbai, said that it was a significant achievement for the navy that indigenous data systems would be used for target evaluation, weapon selection and target engagement.

The frigate can operate in all environments, including those contaminated by nuclear, chemical or biological fallouts. The integration of the ship’s systems would benefit INS Beas , the third of the Brahmaputra class of guided missile frigates, which is in the preliminary stages of testing the BEL-designed system.

Betwa is the second frontline naval ship to bear the same name. The first Betwa was a Leopard class anti-aircraft frigate commissioned in the UK in 1960. She served the Navy till 1991.