Vindhyagiri, a Project 17A Frigate, will be launched by President Droupadi Murmu at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited in Kolkata on August 17, the Ministry of Defence said.
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 July 8, 1981 to June 11, 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,” the Ministry said.
Under the Project 17A program, a total of four ships by M/s MDL and three ships by M/s GRSE are under construction. The project’s first five ships have been launched by MDL and GRSE, between 2019-2022.
Project 17A ships have been designed in-house by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau, the pioneer organisation for all warship design activities.
“Aligning with the country’s resolute commitment to ‘AatmaNirbharta’, a substantial 75 per cent 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,” the Ministry added.
