Indian Navy commissions ‘INS Mahendragiri’

• The Indian Navy inducted the indigenously-built advanced stealth frigate ‘INS Mahendragiri’ into its Eastern Fleet during a ceremony presided over by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at Visakhapatnam on July 11.

• ‘INS Mahendragiri’ is the sixth Project 17A indigenous stealth frigate to be inducted into the Indian Navy.

• It is the fourth ship of this class built at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDSL), Mumbai.

Project 17A frigates

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

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

• Designed by the Warship Design Bureau (WDB) and overseen by the Warship Overseeing Team (Mumbai), P17A frigates reflect a generational leap in indigenous ship design, stealth, survivability, and combat capability.

• Around 75 per cent of the orders for equipment and system of P17A ships are being placed on indigenous firms.

• The first ship of Project 17A, ‘Nilgiri’ built by MDL, was launched on September 28, 2019. 

• On January 15, 2025, the Indian Navy commissioned INS Nilgiri, the lead ship of the Project 17A class frigates.

• ‘Himgiri’, built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE), Kolkata was launched on December 14, 2020.

• The third ship ‘Udaygiri’ under the project was launched on May 17, 2022. 

• Both these multi-mission stealth frigates were commissioned into the Indian Navy on August 26, 2025.

• ‘Dunagiri’ was launched in July 2022. It was named after a mountain range in Uttarakhand. Dunagiri, built at GRSE, was commissioned into the Indian Navy on June 22, 2026.

• ‘Taragiri’, named after a hill range in the Himalayas located at Garhwal, was launched in September 2022. Taragiri was commissioned into the Indian Navy on April 3, 2026. 

• ‘Vindhyagiri’, named after the mountain range in Karnataka, was launched in August 2023.

• Displacing about 6,700 tonnes, the P17A class frigates are roughly 5 per cent larger than their predecessor Shivalik-class frigates, incorporating a sleeker form with a reduced radar cross section.

• They incorporate improved stealth features, reduced radar signatures, advanced surveillance radars and electronic warfare suites, supersonic surface-to-surface missiles, surface-to-air missiles and rapid-fire gun systems. 

• These ships are configured with Combined Diesel or Gas (CODOG) propulsion plants, comprising a diesel engine and a gas turbine that drive a Controllable Pitch Propeller (CPP) on each shaft, and a state-of-the-art Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS).

Key points on INS Mahendragiri:

• Mahendragiri was launched in September 2023. It is named after a mountain peak in Eastern Ghats located in the state of Odisha.

• Built through the contribution of more than 200 Indian industries, including numerous MSMEs, the ship reflects India’s growing defence manufacturing capability. 

• The frigate features advanced stealth characteristics, a combined diesel or gas propulsion system, an Integrated Platform Management System and advanced indigenous combat systems.

• Mahendragiri is equipped with an advanced suite of indigenous and state-of-the-art weapons, sensors, and electronic warfare systems, enabling her to effectively undertake anti-air, anti-surface, and anti-submarine operations. 

• The ship is also capable of maritime security operations, search and rescue missions, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), and sustained deployments across the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and beyond.

• Upon joining the Eastern Fleet, the Indian Navy’s Sunrise Fleet, INS Mahendragiri will significantly enhance India’s maritime combat capability and operational reach in the Indian Ocean Region.

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)