Kora-class corvette
# Kora-class corvette

Kora-class corvettes are guided missile corvettes, in active service with the Indian Navy and the National Coast Guard of Mauritius. Four vessels were built at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) and outfitted at Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL).

## Design

The primary role of the Kora class is as surface combatants. They are armed with four quad-launchers for 3M-24 anti-ship missiles (Russian: Kh-35 Uran, NATO: SS-N-25 Switchblade). The 3M-24E missile is guided by homing active radar and can carry 145 kg (320 lb) a warhead to a range of 130 km (81 mi) at Mach 0.9 speed. They are powered by two diesel engines. A HAL Chetak or HAL Dhruv helicopter can operate from the vessel. They also have anti-air shoulder-launched missiles (Strela-2M (Nato code name: SA-N-5 Grail)).The Strela-2M has a range of 4.2 km (2.6 mi) and a speed of Mach 1.75. INS Kulish is equipped with two Igla surface-to-air missile launchers.

The corvettes are armed with a 76 mm (3.0 in) AK-176 dual-purpose gun and two 30 mm (1.2 in) AK-630 CIWS. The Ak-176 can fire at the rate of 120 rounds-per-minute (RPM) to a range of 15.5 km (9.6 mi), while the AK-630 can fire 3,000RPM to a range of 2 km (1.2 mi). INS Kirch and INS Kulish are fitted with a 76 mm (3.0 in) Otobreda super rapid gun firing 120 RPM.

The sensor suite includes a MR-352 Pozitiv-E (Cross Dome) air or surface search radar, Bharat 1245 navigation radar and BEL Rani navigation radar. The MR-352 radar can track targets within a range of 130 km (81 mi). Fire control is provided by Garpun-Bal and MR-123 radars. The Garpun-Bal radar combines active and passive channels and in the active target designation mode, it operates in X-band (I/J-band) and can handle up to 150 targets at ranges between 35–45 km (22–28 mi), although it is possible to obtain ranges of more than 180 km (110 mi) in wave-guide propagation conditions.

The corvettes are fitted with the Ajanta P Mk II Electronic Support Measures system. There are four PK-10 chaff launchers and two towed torpedo decoys to deceive incoming anti-ship missiles and torpedoes. PK-10 is a 10 tube 120 mm (4.7 in) barrage chaff launcher that can fire 80 rounds at a time.

The Kora class is powered by two diesel engines driving two controllable pitch propellers through two shafts. Each engine is rated at 7,100 horsepower (5,300 kW). Four diesel alternators rated at 350 kW are provided for power generation. The propulsion system provides a top speed of 25 kn (46 km/h; 29 mph), an average speed of 16 kn (30 km/h; 18 mph) and a maximum range of 4,000 nmi (7,400 km; 4,600 mi).

Each ship cost in 2001 approximately ₹240 crore (equivalent to ₹951 crore or US$119 million in 2023). A simpler version exported to Mauritius in 2014 cost approximately ₹365 crore (equivalent to ₹581 crore or US$73 million in 2023).

## History

The Kora-class corvettes were designed by India's Naval design bureau under Project 25A, as a replacement for the Russian-designed Petya II-class corvettes of the Indian Navy. The first two were ordered in April 1990 and latter two in October 1994. The class was to be outfitted with the Trishul SAM, but following the cancellation of the Trishul project, a shoulder-launched SAM was adopted.

INS Kora undertook a goodwill visit to Singapore in mid-2001. The corvette participated in the Republic of Singapore Navy Day celebrations followed by the International Maritime Defence Exhibition (IMDEX) Asia 2001. The participation of INS Kora in the International Maritime Defence Exhibition was a showcase of the Indian shipbuilding industry and its indigenous efforts.

## Export

In 2012, it was reported that Mauritius had ordered 2 vessels based on this class from the Garden Reach Shipbuilders.

## Ships of this class

| Name | Pennant | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Homeport | Status |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Indian Navy ||||||||
| Kora | P61 | GRSE | 10 January 1990 | 23 September 1992 | 10 August 1998 | Visakhapatnam | Active |
| Kirch | P62 | GRSE | 31 January 1990 | 28 September 1995 | 22 January 2001 | Visakhapatnam | Active |
| Kulish | P63 | GRSE | 4 October 1995 | 18 August 1997 | 20 August 2001 | Port Blair | Active |
| Karmuk | P64 | GRSE | 27 August 1997 | 6 April 2000 | 4 February 2004 | Port Blair | Active |
| National Coast Guard of Mauritius ||||||||
| Barracuda | C31 | GRSE | 23 April 2012 | 2 August 2013 | 12 March 2015 | | Active |

## Gallery

* INS Kora escorting PLA Navy Ship Weifang off Visakhapatnam, India.
* INS Sumedha (P58) and INS Kulish (P63) enroute to Bangladesh.
* INS Kulish (P63) underway with U.S. Navy during Exercise Malabar 2012.
* INS Kulish, left, passes USS Halsey during Malabar 2012.
* INS Karmuk at Visakhapatnam, India.
* MCGS Barracuda a derivative of Kora-class corvette en-route to Mauritius for delivery to National Coast Guard Mauritius.

## In Popular Culture

Kora Class Corvetttes INS Kirch(P62) and INS Kulish(P63) were featured in Bollywood Film Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Sathiyo where it was seen accompanying Rajput Class Destroyer INS Ranvir(D54)

