Vindhyagiri

Why is in news? The sixth Project 17A Frigate will be launched by the Hon'ble President of India

Vindhyagiri, a Project 17A Frigate, will be launched by the Hon’ble President of India, at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited, Kolkata on 17 Aug 23.

Vindhyagiri, named after the mountain range in Karnataka, is the sixth ship of the Project 17A Frigates.

These warships are follow-ons of the Project 17 Class Frigates (Shivalik Class), with improved stealth features, advanced weapons and sensors and platform management systems.

‘Vindhyagiri’, a technologically advanced Frigate, pays a befitting tribute to the distinguished service of its predecessor, the erstwhile INS Vindhyagiri, the Leander Class ASW Frigate.

The old Vindhyagiri in its nearly 31 years of service from 08 Jul 81 to11 Jun 12, 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.

Project 17A:

Project 17 Alpha frigates (P-17A) were launched by the Indian Navy in 2019 to construct a series of stealth guided-missile frigates.

Project 17A ships have been designed in-house by Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau, the pioneer organisation for all warship design activities.

These are currently being constructed by two companies - Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders (MDL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE).

Aligning with the country's resolute commitment to 'AatmaNirbharta', a substantial 75% of the orders for equipment and systems of Project 17A ships are from indigenous firms, including Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

The launch of Vindhyagiri is an apt testament to the incredible progress our Nation has made in building a self-reliant naval force.

These guided-missile frigates have been constructed with a specific stealth design, which has radar-absorbent coatings and is low-observable which can make its approach undetectable for the enemies.

The new technology also reduces the infrared signals of the ship.

The first stealth ship launched under Project 17A was the Nilgiri, which was launched in 2019.

6 ships under this project includes – Nilgiri, Udaygiri, Taragiri, Mahendragiri, Himgiri, Dunagiri, Vindhyagiri.