01-07-2025
INS Udaygiri: Navy inducts indigenous stealth frigate in record time
Showcasing the country's growing military manufacturing capabilities and enhancing its naval power, INS Udaygiri — the second ship of Project 17A's stealth frigates — was delivered to the Indian Navy on Tuesday (July 1, 2025), according to a Defence Ministry statement.
'The project is a successor of the Shivalik class frigates of Project 17 (P-17), which are now in active service. Udaygiri is the second among the seven Project 17A (P-17A) frigates under construction at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDSL) in Mumbai and Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers in Kolkata. These multi-mission frigates are capable of operating in a 'blue water' environment — referring to the open ocean — dealing with both conventional and non-conventional threats in the area of India's maritime interests,' the Ministry said, adding that the remaining five ships will be delivered progressively by the end of 2026.
'Udaygiri has been delivered to the Indian Navy in a record time of 37 months from the date of launching,' the Ministry statement said. 'It is a modern avatar of its predecessor, the erstwhile INS Udaygiri, which was a steam ship, decommissioned on August 24, 2007 after rendering 31 years of service to the nation,' it added.
'Quantum leap'
'P-17A ships have enhanced stealth features and are fitted with an advanced, state-of-the-art weapon and sensor suite, a significant upgrade from the P-17 class,' the Ministry said. 'The ships represent a quantum leap in the Indian Navy's in-house design capabilities at the Warship Design Bureau,' the statement added.
The weapons suite comprises a supersonic surface-to-surface missile system, a medium-range surface-to-air missile system, a 76 mm gun, and a combination of 30 mm and 12.7 mm rapid-fire close-in weapon systems, according to the Ministry.
The warship's major weapons and sensors are sourced from indigenous manufacturers, meaning that 'Udaygiri is an example of indigenisation that showcases the nation's ship design, ship construction and engineering prowess, enabled by a strong industrial ecosystem supported by over 200 medium, small and micro enterprises,' the statement said.
