Indian Navy will add massive firepower to its arsenal by launching its newest addition of P-17A Stealth Guided Missile Frigate ‘Vindhyagiri’ on 17 August. 2023. Vindhyagiri is a technologically advanced frigate with improved stealth features, advanced weapons and sensors and platform management systems designed and built indigenously at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE), Kolkata.
Named after a mountain range in Karnataka, Vindhyagiri is the sixth ship of the Project 17A frigates, which President Droupadi Murmu will launch on Sunday. Under the Project 17A programme, all seven Frigates are presently at advanced stages of construction, and five of these have already been launched between 2019-2022. The ‘Vindhyagiri’ is the 6th ship of the class and the 3rd Ship of GRSE. Four of the P17A frigates are being built by Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL). The vessel will be delivered to the Indian Navy between 2024 to 2026.
“These warships are follow-ons of the Project 17 Class Frigates (Shivalik Class) and are technologically advanced frigates that pay a befitting tribute to the distinguished service of its predecessor, the erstwhile INS Vindhyagiri, a Leander Class ASW Frigate,” said Indian Navy.
The Project 17A ships have been designed in-house by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau. According to the Navy, as much as 75% of the orders for equipment and systems of Project 17A ships are from indigenous firms, including MSMEs.
The old Vindhyagiri in its nearly 31 years of service from 1981 to 2012, had witnessed various challenging operations and multinational exercises. The newly christened Vindhyagiri stands as a symbol of India’s determination to embrace its rich naval heritage while propelling itself towards a future of indigenous defence capabilities, said Indian Navy.
Salient Features
P-17A warships have a deep displacement of about 6670 tonnes and are designed to achieve a maximum speed of 28 knots. The P-17A ships will be fitted with an indigenously designed and manufactured bow-mounted sonar dome. The ships are powered by two Combined Diesel or Gas (CODOG) main propulsion plants. The warships will also have a state-of-the-art Combat Management System (CMS) developed by BEL.
The vessel will have a supersonic Surface-to-Surface missile system and an Anti-Submarine Weapon system to provide a formidable offensive capability. It will be equipped with the Brahmos Cruise missiles and Barak-8 Air Defence missiles to add firepower to the Navy.
Team BharatShakti
