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INS Udaygiri & INS Himgiri (Project 17A Stealth Frigates)

26 Aug 2025 GS 3 Defence
INS Udaygiri & INS Himgiri (Project 17A Stealth Frigates) Click to view full image

Context

  • Commissioned on 26 August 2025 at Visakhapatnam Naval Base.

  • Defence Minister Rajnath Singh presided.

  • First-ever simultaneous commissioning of two frontline warships built at different Indian shipyards.

Project 17A Stealth Frigates

  • Follow-on variants of Shivalik-class frigates (Project 17).

  • Built under Project 17A, which includes 7 stealth frigates (4 by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd., Mumbai, and 3 by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers, Kolkata).

Key Features

  1. Stealth & Sensors

    • Enhanced stealth shaping and signature reduction.

    • Modern sensor systems for full-spectrum blue-water maritime operations.

  2. Weapon Systems

    • Advanced Indian-made weapons and sensors (missiles, torpedoes, CIWS).

    • Capable of anti-air, anti-surface, and anti-submarine warfare.

  3. Propulsion & Technology

    • CODOG (Combined Diesel or Gas) propulsion system.

    • Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS).

    • Modular construction techniques enabled faster delivery (Udaygiri was fastest of its class from launch to delivery).

  4. Indigenous Content & Design

    • ~75% indigenous content, supported by Indian MSMEs.

    • Designed in-house by Navy’s Warship Design Bureau (WDB).

    • Udaygiri is the 100th vessel designed by WDB – milestone in 5 decades of indigenous warship design.

  5. Symbolism & Heritage

    • Revive heritage of earlier Navy ships with same names.

    • To join Eastern Fleet (based in Visakhapatnam), enhancing India’s operational reach in the Indian Ocean Region.

Strategic Significance

  • Force Multiplier: Strengthens blue-water naval capability, essential for power projection and maritime security.

  • Eastern Fleet Boost: Enhances India’s readiness against threats in Bay of Bengal, South China Sea, and Indo-Pacific.

  • Atmanirbhar Bharat in Defence: Showcases India’s ability to design, construct, and operationalise complex warships indigenously.

  • Shipbuilding Ecosystem: Demonstrates inter-yard collaboration (Mazagon Dock + GRSE), modular construction, and private industry involvement.

Warship Design Bureau (WDB)

  • The Warship Design Bureau (WDB), a premier warship design organisation under Naval Headquarters in New Delhi

  • WDB, which began its journey as the Central Design Office in 1964 to achieve self-sufficiency in warship design, evolved into the Directorate of Naval Design in 1970.

    Over the past six decades, WDB has played a pivotal role in the design and construction of 20 types of warships, ranging from Seaward Defence Boats to aircraft carriers.

  • (Udaygiri), the second ship (Out of 4) of the Project 17A stealth frigate series being built at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDSL), became the 100th ship to be designed and delivered by the Indian Navy's in-house Warship Design Bureau.



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