Kamal Ghorui
Navy gets delivery of stealth frigate Mahendragiri from Mazagaon Shipyard
NEW DELHI: Adding teeth to the country’s stealth warship fleet, the Indian Navy has received the delivery of advanced stealth frigate ‘INS Mahendragiri’ under the Project 17A (Nilgiri-class) from the Mumbai-based Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL). The delivery of Mahendragiri, the fourth such warship manufactured by MDL, on Thursday marks a significant milestone in achieving self-reliance in warship construction.Designed by the Warship Design Bureau, the state-of-the-art Mahendragiri reflects a quantum leap in naval design, stealth, firepower, automation, and survivability and stands as an admirable symbol of Aatmanirbharta in warship building, said an official statement.A total of seven stealth guided-missile frigates were constructed by MDL and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers under Project 17A, out of which six have been delivered, INS Mahendragiri being the sixth.INS Mahendragiri was delivered in less than 17 months from the delivery of the first warship. The five already delivered to the Navy are INS Nilgiri, INS Himgiri, INS Udaygiri, INS Taragiri and INS Vindhyagiri.P17A ships are fitted with an advanced weapon and sensor suite like MF-STAR active phased array radar, BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, and Barak-8 long-range surface-to-air missiles, designed for superior anti-air, anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare. With an indigenous content of 75%, the warship utilises advanced radar systems for surveillance and fire control.Project 17A frigates are versatile multi-mission platforms designed to address current and emerging challenges in the maritime domain.These ships are configured with combined diesel or gas propulsion plants, comprising a diesel engine and a gas turbine that drive a controllable pitch propeller on each shaft, and a state-of-the-art integrated platform management system.Delivery of Mahendragiri showcases the design, shipbuilding and engineering prowess of the nation, and reflects the Navy’s unrelenting focus on Aatmanirbharta in both ship design and shipbuilding.The stealth frigate project has involved over 200 MSMEs at MDL and has enabled employment generation of 4,000 personnel directly and more than 10,000 personnel indirectly.
