Mazagon Dock Teams Up With Italian Fincantieri To Build Stealth Frigates For Indian Navy

Indian Mazagon Dock Ltd has teamed up with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri to build stealth frigates.

Mazagon Dock (MDL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders (GRSE) are involved in Indian Navy’s Project 17A to build seven stealth frigates ordered last year. Four of them will be built by MDL and the rest three by GRSE. Italian Fincantieri will help MDL and GRSE to modernize stealth frigates to be built by the two shipyards.

Project 17A is a follow on of Project 17, which comprised of three multi-role Shivalik class stealth frigates built by MDL between 2000 and 2010, for the India Navy. The agreement is expected to allow Fincantieri to assist with the development of detailed engineering aimed at integrated building in the two Indian shipyards, as well as design optimisation processes and modular construction, and undertake training and ongoing technical assistance, The Hindu reported Wednesday.

The follow-on project deals with the construction of seven frigates of 149 meters length each and a displacement of 6,400 tonnes.

“Basic and functional design has been developed by the Indian Navy. The ships will be built at MDL and GRSE, and Fincantieri will help modernise them. This would also involve a significant amount of transfer of technology from Fincantieri, with the creation of system advisors that would be useful for other programmes,” the news daily quoted an unnamed source as saying.

The construction of the first ship is expected to start early next year, and is expected to be launched by 2020, following an upgrade of the two shipyards to incorporate modular construction techniques.