• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched the stealth frigate Y-3023 Dunagiri on river Hooghly, built by defence PSU Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE).

• Project 17A frigates are follow-on class of the P17 (Shivalik Class) frigates with improved stealth features, advanced weapons and sensors and platform management systems.

• P17A ships are guided missile frigates, each of which is 149 metres long, with displacement of approximately 6,670 tonnes and a speed of 28 knots.

• The Navy had placed orders for seven stealth frigates, four of which are being developed by Mazagon Dock Ltd (MDL) and three by GRSE.

• Christened after a mountain range in Uttarakhand, ‘Dunagiri’ is the fourth ship of P17A frigates. The first two ships — Nilgiri and Himgiri — of P17A Project, were launched in 2019 and 2020 at MDL and GRSE respectively. The third ship (Udaygiri) was launched at MDL on May 17 earlier this year.

• Dunagiri is the second of three Project 17A advanced frigates being built by GRSE.

• ‘Dunagiri’ is the reincarnation of the erstwhile ‘Dunagiri’, the Leander Class ASW Frigate, which in her 33 years of service from May 5, 1977 to October 20, 2010, had witnessed various challenging operations and multinational exercises. 

• P17A ships have been designed in-house by the Indian Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design (DND), which has successfully spear-headed design of numerous class of indigenous warships in the past. 

• The state-of-the-art ship is fitted with the latest gadgets and underwent extensive trials by GRSE, before being handed over to the Indian Navy for commissioning into service.

• The Rs 19,294-crore contract for construction of the three stealth frigates under Project 17A is the largest-ever order for GRSE.

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