Kora-class

The Kora-class corvettes, designated Project 25A, were designed by the Indian Naval design bureau as a replacement for Petya II-class vessels. The class represents a development of the preceding Khukri-class corvette. Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers constructed the vessels, which were outfitted at Mazagon Dock Limited. The Indian Navy ordered the first two units in April 1990 and a second pair in October 1994.

The vessels are configured as surface combatants. Propulsion is provided by diesel engines driving shafts with controllable pitch propellers, supported by diesel alternators for power generation. Armament includes quad-launchers for Kh-35 Uran anti-ship missiles. Air defense is provided by shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles, an arrangement adopted following the cancellation of the Trishul missile project. Primary gun systems vary across the class; initial vessels carry the AK-176, while later ships such as INS Kirch and INS Kulish utilize the Otobreda 76/62. The class also carries AK-630 close-in weapon systems. Each ship features a flight deck for a HAL Chetak or HAL Dhruv helicopter. The electronic suite includes Pozitiv-E search radar, Garpun-Bal and MR-123 fire control radars, and the Ajanta P electronic support measures system. Defensive hardware includes chaff launchers and towed torpedo decoys.

Four vessels were commissioned into the Indian Navy between 1998 and 2004: INS Kora, INS Kirch, INS Kulish, and INS Karmuk. In 2012, a derivative of the class was ordered for the National Coast Guard of Mauritius; this vessel, MCGS Barracuda, entered service in 2015. Service history includes INS Kora’s attendance at the 2001 International Maritime Defence Exhibition (IMDEX) in Singapore and the Republic of Singapore Navy Day celebrations. INS Kulish participated in Exercise Malabar 2012 alongside the United States Navy. The vessels have also conducted escort duties and international visits within the Indian Ocean region.