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Boosting India’s overall maritime capabilities amid growing Chinese activity in the Indian Ocean Region, the Indian Navy on Monday took delivery of two frontline warships and a large survey vessel from Garden Reach Shipbuilding and Engineers Ltd (GRSE) in a rare single-day handover.
The induction includes Dunagiri, a stealth-guided-missile frigate under Project 17A; Agray, an anti-submarine warfare shallow-water craft; and Sanshodhak, a large survey vessel designed for hydrographic operations.
Dunagiri is the fifth ship of the Nilgiri-class (Project 17A) to be delivered in the past 16 months, underscoring the Navy’s steady push towards modernisation and indigenisation. The 149-metre-long, 6,670-tonne warship is equipped with advanced weapons and sensors for operations across air, surface and sub-surface domains. Armed with BrahMos missile systems, the frigate significantly enhances the Navy’s strike reach and defensive envelope.
Designed by the Navy’s Warship Design Bureau, the Project 17A class represents a generational shift in stealth, survivability and combat capability. Officials said construction timelines have improved, with Dunagiri completed in 80 months compared to 93 months for the lead ship. The project carries around 75 per cent indigenous content and has involved more than 200 MSMEs.
The vessel also revives the legacy of the earlier INS Dunagiri, a Leander-class frigate that served the Navy for over three decades until 2010.
Agray, the fourth of eight Arnala-class ASW shallow-water crafts, is tailored for coastal defence, anti-submarine operations, and mine warfare. The 77-metre vessel is powered by waterjets and fitted with lightweight torpedoes, indigenous rocket launchers and shallow-water sonar systems for detecting underwater threats. With over 80 per cent indigenous content, it reflects the government’s push for self-reliance in defence manufacturing.
The third vessel, Sanshodhak, is a 110-metre-long survey ship with a displacement of about 3,400 tonnes. It is equipped with advanced hydrographic and oceanographic systems, including autonomous and remotely operated underwater vehicles, digital side-scan sonar and precision positioning systems. The ship will undertake coastal and deep-water surveys, map navigational channels and collect geophysical data for both defence and civilian use.
Sanshodhak is the fourth in a series of survey vessels under a contract signed in 2018, following the induction of INS Sandhayak, INS Nirdeshak and INS Ikshak. Like its predecessors, it has over 80 per cent indigenous content.
The triple delivery highlights GRSE’s expanding production capacity. The Kolkata-based shipyard is currently building multiple naval platforms, including another Project 17A frigate, anti-submarine warfare vessels and next-generation offshore patrol vessels, alongside a growing export order book.
Team BharatShakti
