Navy

Project 17A frigate

According to Naval News, India’s shipbuilder Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) launched the fifth Nilgiri-class (Project 17A) frigate for the Indian Navy, at its shipyard in Mumbai.

INS Taragiri
INS Taragiri which was launched on 11 September, 2022 is the 3rd frigate built by MDL and fifth ship in the class overall (Indian MoD picture)

Following the Government of India declaring a state-mourning on 11 September, 2022 (in relation to the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II), the event was limited to a technical launch (launching of vessels at the MDL shipyard is tide dependent, any change in the schedule was not possible).

Seven P17A Frigates are under various stages of construction at MDL and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE). INS Taragiri which was launched on 11 September, 2022 is the 5th frigate built by GRSE. It is named after the mountain range in the state of Uttarakhand. The 4th ship-in-class was launched by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE) in Kolkata in July this year. Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) laid the keel of the 7th and final ship in late June 2022.

The Nilgiri-class frigate or Project 17A is a follow-on of the Project 17 Shivalik-class frigate for the Indian Navy. The frigates are built with extensive use of low-observability technologies, including new radar-absorbing coatings, composite materials and «faceted» shape superstructures.

The ship will be fitted with a 76-mm main gun, two 30-mm AK-630M anti-aircraft artillery systems, two torpedo tubes, launchers for eight BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and 32 Barak-8 surface to air missiles. Its main radar will be the MF-STAR by IAI.