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THE INDIAN Navy is set to simultaneously commission two Nilgiri-class stealth guided-missile frigates Udaygiri and Himgiri on August 26 at Visakhapatnam, the Ministry of Defence has said. The MoD said Udaygiri’s commissioning will also mark another milestone: the 100th warship designed by the Navy’s in-house Warship Design Bureau (WDB).
At the strategic level, these multi-mission stealth frigates are capable of operating in a ‘blue water’ environment — deep sea far from shore — dealing with both conventional and non-conventional threats. The newly designed class of ships is also being built using ‘integrated construction’ philosophy, which involves extensive pre-outfitting in the block stages to reduce the overall building periods. Nilgiri-class frigates can play a crucial role in anti-surface warfare, anti-air warfare and anti-submarine warfare, with their versatile weapons and capabilities.
The Nilgiri-class stealth frigate being constructed under the codename Project 17A is a follow-on of the Shivalik class or Project 17 frigates which are active in service. INS Nilgiri was first among the seven frigates in Project 17A which was commissioned in January earlier this year. Construction of four of these ships — Nilgiri, Udaygiri, Taragiri and Mahendragiri — is with the MDL while the other three — Himgiri, Dunagiri and Vindhyagiri — are by GRSE. The Nilgiri class of stealth guided-missile frigates take the names of the former Leander class which were commissioned into the Indian Navy between 1972 and 1981 and were decommissioned between 1996 and 2013.
“In another major milestone for the Indian Navy, Udaygiri is the 100th ship designed by the Navy’s Warship Design Bureau. Udaygiri and Himgiri represent a generational leap over earlier designs. Displacing about 6,700 tons, the Project 17A frigates are roughly five percent larger than their predecessor Shivalik-class frigates and yet incorporate a sleeker form, with a reduced radar cross section,” the MoD has said.
Nilgiri-class ships are powered by Combined Diesel or Gas (CODOG) propulsion plants using diesel engines and gas turbines that drive controllable-pitch propellers and are managed through an Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS). The weapon suite includes supersonic Surface-to-Surface Missiles, Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missiles and the Anti-submarine/ Underwater weapon systems.
“Both ships are the result of an industrial ecosystem spanning over 200 MSMEs, supporting approximately 4,000 direct jobs and more than 10,000 indirect jobs. Rigorous sea trials have validated the frigates’ hull, machinery, firefighting, damage control, navigation and communication systems, ensuring they are ready for operational deployment. The commissioning of Udaygiri and Himgiri underscores the Navy’s commitment to self-reliance in ship design and construction and follows the commissioning of other indigenous platforms, including destroyer INS Surat, frigate INS Nilgiri, submarine INS Vaghsheer, ASW Shallow Water Craft INS Arnala, and Diving Support Vessel INS Nistar, all in 2025 alone. India’s oceans are guarded by ships built in India, designed by Indians and staffed by Indians — a true embodiment of the Make in India initiative and a beacon of the country’s rising maritime power,” the MoD has said.
