Himgiri, the first of the three Project 17A ships being built at GRSE. The ship has taken its name and crest of the second Frigate of the Leander Class of ships, which incidentally was launched 50 years ago in 1970.
Under the Project 17A program, a total of seven ships, four at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) and three ships at GRSE are being built with enhanced stealth features, advanced indigenous weapon and sensor fit along with several other improvements. The launch of ‘Himgiri’ has showcased GRSE’s commitment towards the building of three state-of-the-art warships of P17A for Indian Navy. Over the years, GRSE has emerged as a leading shipyard having built over 100 ships. The yard has scaled up its infrastructure and skill sets to meet new challenges in building of P17A ships. P17A ships are the first gas turbine propulsion and largest combat platforms ever built at GRSE.
Indian Navy press release
According to the official data, 80 percent of the Project 17A frigates construction is done with Indian-made materials and equipment. More than 2000 local firms are involved in the supply chain.
Project 17A is the largest vessel ever built by GRSE. It is also the first combat platform GRSE builds equipped with a gas turbine. For this reason, the company had to expand the infrastructure of the Kolkata shipyard and modernize production.
About Project 17A / Nilgiri-class frigate
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.
The ship will be fitted with a 127mm 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 MF-STAR by IAI.
Project 17A frigates main characteristics
- Displacement: 6,670 tons
- Length: 149 meters
- Width: 17,8 meters
- Draft: 5,22 meters
- Speed: 28 knots
- Range: 5,500 nautical miles
- Crew: 226 sailors
