Rani Devalla Visakhapatnam

DefenceMinister Rajnath Singh will commission INS Mahendragiri (F38), the Indian Navy’s sixth Nilgiri class (Project 17A) stealth frigate, at the naval dockyard on July 11 (Saturday).

Designed by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau (WDB) and built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDSL), Mahendragiri features advanced stealth features, enhanced survivability, a high degree of automation and a reduced radar signature. This is the fourth ship of the class built at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited.

Living up to her motto ‘mighty-majestic-matchless’, Living up to her motto ‘mighty-majestic-matchless’, INS Mahendragiri reflects the spirit of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, boasting over 75 percent domestic content with substantial systems and equipment sourced from Indian industries.

Equipped to undertake anti air-surface-submarine operations, the warship is also suited for maritime security, power projection and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, search and rescue and sustained presence missions.

Considered as a major leap in indigenous shipbuilding, the commissioning of Mahendragiri marks another significant milestone in the eventful execution of the Project 17A programme.

Project 17A frigates are versatile multi-mission platforms made to address emerging challenges in the maritime domain.

Named after the imposing Mahendragiri Mountain in Eastern Ghats, the state-of-the-art frigate showcases a quantum leap in firepower, automation and survivability.

The construction of seven warships has been taken up by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers and MDSL.

Powered by a modern Combined Diesel or Gas propulsion system, the warship showcases India’s increasing expertise in indigenous warship design and construction.

On Friday, the Defence Minister reached Visakhapatnam to attend the commissioning of the warship scheduled on Saturday at the Naval Dockyard.