INS Udaygiri and INS Himgiri: Navy to commission two stealth frigates today
New Delhi: The Indian Navy is all set to commission two stealth frigates – INS Udaygiri and INS Himgiri at the Naval Base in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday, the defence ministry said.
Both the warships are largely homegrown with over 75 per cent indigenous content, giving impetus to the government’s ‘aatmanirbharta’ push in defence manufacturing and making the country self-reliant in defence capabilities.
The ceremony will be presided over by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who described it as a milestone moment in the country’s maritime prowess.
“I shall attend the Commissioning Ceremony of the latest state-of-the-art Project 17A multi-mission stealth frigates Udaygiri and Himgiri,” he wrote in a post on the social media platform X on Monday.
He further stated, “This will be the first occasion when two frontline surface combatants, constructed at two different shipyards, will be commissioned simultaneously, underscoring the growing maritime importance of India’s eastern seaboard.”
INS Udaygiri has been built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd. (MDL), Mumbai, while INS Himgiri was constructed by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata, showcasing India’s growing shipbuilding prowess and also the synergy between India’s premier defence shipyards.
“Udaygiri and Himgiri are Project 17 (Shivalik) class frigates. Both these vessels incorporate significant improvements in design, stealth, weapon and sensor systems and are capable of executing a full spectrum of maritime missions in Blue Water conditions,” said an official statement.
INS Udaygiri also holds the distinction of being the fastest ship of her class to be delivered post-launch, a result of the modular construction methodology adopted by Indian shipyards.
Both frigates have been named after earlier INS Udaygiri (F35) and INS Himgiri (F34) that served the nation with distinction for over 30 years before being recently decommissioned.
Both frigates were designed in-house by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau (WDB), and notably, Udaygiri is the 100th ship designed by the WDB, marking a milestone in five decades of indigenous warship design.
The commissioning of Udaygiri and Himgiri will augment the Navy’s combat readiness and reaffirm India’s resolve to achieve self-reliance in warship design and construction.
Upon commissioning, the two frigates will join the Eastern Fleet, strengthening India’s ability to safeguard its maritime interests across the Indian Ocean Region.