GRSE Launches Indian Navy’s 6th Nilgiri-class P17A frigate

India's Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE) launched the sixth Project 17A frigate for the Indian Navy “Vindhyagiri” at its shipyard in Kolkata, Thursday.

Vindhyagiri is the third and final Project 17A frigate built by GRSE.

Seven vessels of the class are planned. Four are being built by Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) and three by GRSE. Six of the seven ships of the class have now been launched. MDL has yet to launch the hull of the final ship of the class: Mahendragiri.

The first two ships in the class, Nilgiri and Udaygiri are set to be commissioned with the Indian Navy in 2024.

The Nilgiri-class frigate or Project 17A is a follow-on of the Project 17 Shivalik-class frigate for the Indian Navy. The frigates are built with extensive use of low-observability technologies, including new radar-absorbing coatings, composite materials and “faceted” shape superstructures.

This 149m-long warship has a displacement of 6,670 tons and can attain speed of 28 knots. It has a range of 5,500 nautical miles and can accommodate 226 sailors.

The ship will be fitted with a 76mm main gun, two 30 mm AK-630M anti-aircraft artillery systems, two torpedo tubes, launchers for eight BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and 32 Barak-8 surface to air missiles. Its main radar will be the IAI’s MF-STAR.