President launches indigenously built warship Vindhyagiri

Source: The post is based on the article “President launches indigenously built warship Vindhyagiri”  published in The Hindu on 18th August 2023.

What is the News?

The President has launched the sixth vessel of the Project 17 Alpha Frigates, ‘Vindhyagiri’, a stealth ship of the Indian Navy. 

What is INS Vindhyagiri?

INS Vindhyagiri is the sixth stealth frigate constructed under Project-17 Alpha.

Built by: Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE) facility at Kolkata.

Named after: The ship is named after the Vindhyagiri hills in Karnataka.

Significance: Vindhyagiri pays a befitting tribute to the distinguished service of its predecessor, the erstwhile INS Vindhyagiri, the Leander Class ASW Frigate.

– The old Vindhyagiri in its nearly 31 years of service from 1981 to 2012 had witnessed various challenging operations.

What is Project-17 Alpha?

Project-17 Alpha is also known as the Nilgiri class frigate project. The project was launched by the Indian Navy in 2019.

It involves the construction of seven new-generation stealth frigates for the Indian Navy using advanced technologies.

These frigates are being built by two state-run shipyards: 

– Mazagon Docks Limited(MDL) is responsible for manufacturing four frigates — INS Nilgiri, Udaygiri, Taragiri and Mahendragiri.

– Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE) will manufacture the remaining three frigates, INS Himgiri, Dunagiri and Vindhyagiri.

These ships are follow-on versions of the three Project-17 vessels, also known as the Shivalik class frigates in the Indian Navy.

Features: The P17A ships are advanced missile frigates measuring 149 meters in length, weighing about 6,670 tonnes, and can travel at a speed of 28 knots.

– These are capable of neutralizing threats in all three dimensions of air, surface and subsurface.

– They are being built using a special stealth design that has radar-absorbent coatings and is low-observable, making it possible for them to approach without being seen by adversaries. 

– Around 75% of the equipment and systems for these ships are sourced from local companies, including small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).