The Indian Navy has received delivery of its fourth Nilgiri-class stealth frigate, Mahendragiri, from Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders (MDL). This vessel is part of the Project-17A class, which represents an advanced iteration of the earlier Shivalik-class frigates.
Design and Capabilities
Both the Nilgiri and Shivalik classes were designed in-house by the Naval Design Bureau. The Nilgiri-class frigates are intended to complement the older Shivaliks while incorporating improved design features and a reduced Radar Cross Section (RCS) for enhanced stealth. The Indian Navy has ordered a total of seven Nilgiri-class frigates, with MDL building four and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) constructing the remaining three.
Armament and Sensors
These frigates pack significant offensive and defensive firepower. The primary anti-ship armament consists of eight BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, which demonstrated their effectiveness during Operation Sindoor last year by striking Pakistani airbases. For air defense, the ships are equipped with the Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MR-SAM) system, which also proved its worth during the 88-hour conflict by intercepting two Fatah-II rockets from a unit at Sirsa air force base. Additionally, the Mahendragiri boasts a comprehensive sensor suite for detecting threats in the air, on the surface, and underwater.
Commissioning and Future Plans
Named after a peak in the Eastern Ghats, Mahendragiri will be formally commissioned into the Navy in the coming months. Previous ships of the class, such as INS Taragiri, were commissioned about four months after delivery. In a historic first, two ships—INS Himgiri and INS Udaygiri—built by different shipyards were commissioned together in August last year. The Navy is also advancing its Next Generation Frigates (NGF) under Project-17B, which will succeed the Nilgiri class.
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