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What is the News?
Indian Navy has decommissioned the INS Rajput at Naval Dockyard at Visakhapatnam after 41 years of service.
About INS Rajput:
- INS Rajput was a guided-missile destroyer and the lead ship of the Rajput class of the Indian Navy. It was built by the erstwhile USSR (now Russia).
- The missile destroyer was commissioned in the Indian Navy in 1980. It was also the first destroyer of the Indian Navy.
- Purpose: The ship is capable of attacking land targets as well as fulfilling anti-aircraft and anti-submarine roles as a task force or carrier escort.
- The destroyer ship 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 of the Maldives and
- Operation Crowsnest off Lakshadweep.
- Moreover, the ship has also served in the several missiles trials:
- The ship was used as a trial platform for the BrahMos cruise missile.
- A new variant of the Prithvi-III missile was test-fired from Rajput in 2007.
- The ship also tracked the Dhanush ballistic missile during a successful test in 2005.
Source: The Hindu
