INS Udaygiri and Himgiri: Two ships, one big step for India's maritime edge

Visakhapatnam will witness a major milestone on Tuesday when Defence Minister Rajnath Singh commissions two Project 17A stealth frigates, INS Udaygiri and INS Himgiri, into the Eastern Naval Command. For the Navy, it will be a first. Never before have two major combat ships, built at different shipyards, been commissioned on the same day.

The Navy captured the mood in a statement: “Two state-of-the-art combatant platforms join the Indian Navy fleet, fortifying India’s strength at sea. RM Rajnath Singh will preside over this momentous commission ceremony.”

INS Udaygiri, Himgiri: Old names, new power
The two frigates carry names familiar to many in the Navy. The first INS Udaygiri served from 1976 to 2007, while the earlier INS Himgiri sailed from 1974 to 2005. Both were stalwarts of their era. Their modern successors inherit that history but arrive with stealthier designs, better sensors and the firepower to dominate in multi-mission roles.

The Project 17A leap
INS Udaygiri and Himgiri belong to the Nilgiri-class frigates, the follow-on to the Shivalik class. They were designed by the Navy’s Warship Design Bureau, the same body that has shaped Indian warship design for over five decades. Fittingly, Udaygiri is the 100th ship designed by the bureau, a symbolic marker of how far India’s naval design capability has come.

Shipyards at work
Udaygiri was built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd in Mumbai. She holds a record within her class as the fastest ship to be delivered after launch, a result of modular construction techniques. Himgiri, built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers in Kolkata, is the first of her class to emerge from that yard. The parallel build at two major shipyards underscores India’s growing industrial base in naval construction.

Bigger, quieter, harder to detect
The ships displace about 6,700 tonnes, nearly five per cent more than their predecessors. This extra size is put to use with a sleeker hull form and technology that makes them harder to spot. Radar cross-section is reduced through angled surfaces and flush-mounted weapons. Heat emissions are cut using infrared suppression systems. Noise is lowered with improved acoustic dampening. Even the use of composite materials contributes to making these ships less visible and less audible at sea.

Speed and endurance
Power comes from a Combined Diesel or Gas (CODOG) system. Diesel engines handle long cruising runs, while gas turbines deliver bursts of speed when needed. Together, they push the ships beyond 28 knots with a range exceeding 5,500 nautical miles. Control is centralised through an Integrated Platform Management System that links propulsion, power and auxiliaries.

Teeth and eyes of the stealth frigates
The two frigates carry a comprehensive weapons package. BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles give them strike capability against surface targets. Barak-8 missiles provide defence against aircraft and incoming threats. A 76 mm main gun, close-in weapon systems of 30 mm and 12.7 mm calibre, torpedo tubes and rocket launchers round out their arsenal.

The sensor suite is equally advanced. It includes the MF-STAR AESA radar, BEL’s HUMSA-NG sonar, the Ajanta electronic warfare system and the CMS-17A combat management system. Protective systems include the Kavach anti-missile decoy and the Maareech torpedo decoy.

Air Wing at sea
The ability to operate helicopters significantly extends their reach. Each ship can support aircraft such as the MH-60 Romeo, ALH Dhruv Mk-III or Sea King. These bring added capability in anti-submarine warfare, maritime surveillance and rescue operations.

Industry and jobs
The Navy highlights that 75 per cent of the content on these ships is indigenous. Their construction drew on the expertise of more than 200 MSMEs, creating 4,000 direct jobs and another 10,000 indirect ones. This makes them more than just warships. They are also symbols of India’s defence manufacturing ecosystem, feeding into the government’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat drive.

Extending India’s reach
Both ships will serve with the Eastern Fleet, giving India more weight in the Indian Ocean. Their design allows them to operate across the full spectrum of missions: air defence, anti-surface, anti-submarine, land attack and electronic warfare. Defence officials point out that with their range and helicopter integration, they can patrol waters stretching from the Strait of Malacca to Africa, keeping sea trade routes secure.

The Ministry of Defence underlined the larger meaning of the day: “As the nation watches the two grey hulls take their place in the fleet, the message will be clear: India’s oceans are guarded by ships built in India, designed by Indians and staffed by Indians — a true embodiment of the Make in India initiative and a beacon of the country’s rising maritime power.”