Indian Navy Inducts Udaygiri Second of Seven P17A Stealth Frigates

Yard 12652 (Udaygiri), the second ship of Project 17A stealth frigate, being built at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDSL), was delivered to the Indian Navy. The Project is a follow-on of the Shivalik class (Project 17) frigates active in service. Udaygiri is the second among the seven P17A frigates under construction at MDL, Mumbai and GRSE, Kolkata. These multi-mission frigates are capable of operating in a ‘Blue Water’ environment dealing with both conventional and non-conventional threats in the area of India’s Maritime Interests. Udaygiri is a modern Avatar of its predecessor, the erstwhile INS Udaygiri which was a Steam Ship, decommissioned on 24 August 2007 after rendering 31 years of glorious service to the nation.

P-17A ships have enhanced stealth features and are fitted with ‘state-of-the-art’ weapons and sensors, a significant upgrade from the P17 class. The ships represent a quantum leap in the Indian Navy’s in-house design capabilities at the Warship Design Bureau. The newly designed ships are also being built employing the philosophy of ‘Integrated Construction’, which involves extensive pre-outfitting at the Block stages to reduce the overall build periods. Udaygiri has been delivered to the Indian Navy in a record time of 37 months from the date of launching.

The hull of P17A ships is geo-symmetrically larger by 4.54 per cent vis-à-vis P17. These ships are fitted with an advanced weapon and sensor suite with enhanced ‘sleek and stealthy’ features compared to the P17 class. The ships are configured with Combined Diesel or Gas (CODOG) main propulsion plants, comprising a Diesel Engine and a Gas turbine, driving a Controllable Pitch Propeller (CPP) on each shaft and a state-of-the-art Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS). The weapon 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.

The remaining five ships of the P 17A Class are at various stages of construction at MDL, Mumbai and GRSE, Kolkata and would be delivered progressively by the end of 2026.