The Indian Navy launched its latest warship, Mahendragiri, in Mumbai. The warship was launched by Sudesh Dhankhar, the wife of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, at the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited. The warship was constructed as part of the Indian Navy’s Project 17A. Mahendragiri is the seventh and the last stealth frigate to be built recently. It has been named after a mountain peak in the Eastern Ghats of Odisha. The warship has enhanced stealth features, advanced weapons, sensors, and platform management systems.

Talking about the structure, the warship has a length of 149 meters, a width of 17.8 meters, and will come with a top speed of 28 knots. Mahendragiri is the seventh and last stealth frigate; four warships are being built at Mazagon Dock, and the rest at Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata, under the project. The warships have a displacement of 6,670 tonnes. Around 75% of the equipment and systems of Project 17A ships have been sourced from indigenous firms, including Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

After the launch of the warship, the Vice President of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar, expressed their pride and said that the warship will “proudly fly the national tricolor across the oceans, as an ambassador of India’s maritime might.” Adding to his statement, he also congratulated the navy, claiming the force would continue to improve themselves for the security of the world at large. “With a strong presence of over 10,000 women across the army, navy, and air force, the Indian armed forces have made considerable strides in gender equality.”

Recently, President Droupadi Murmu launched Vindhyagiri, the sixth warship of Project 17A, at GRSE. Project 17A frigates are a follow-on to the Project 17 (Shivalik class) frigates, with improved stealth features, advanced weapons and sensors, and platform management systems. The previous five warships under Project 17A were launched during 2019-22. All Project 17A warships are currently in different stages of construction and are expected to be delivered to the navy from 2024-26.

-Varuni Gupta