The Indian Navy, on Friday, received delivery of the stealth frigate 'Taragiri'—an advanced multi-role frigate that incorporates stealth design, enhanced automation, and survivability upgrades—which will bolster the force's ability to address current and future challenges in the maritime domain.
Taragiri, the namesake successor of the Leander-class frigate INS Taragiri that was part of the Indian Navy fleet from 1980 to 2013, is the the fourth ship of Nilgiri Class (Project 17A) and the third built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilding Ltd (MDL).
According to the defence ministry, "This state-of-the-art frigate reflects a quantum leap in naval design, stealth, firepower, automation and survivability, and is a symbol of Aatmanirbharta in warship building." The warships have 75 per cent made-in-India content.
Designed by the Warship Design Bureau and overseen by the Warship Overseeing Team (Mumbai), P17A ships are fitted with an advanced weapon and sensor suite. These include the BrahMos surface-to-surface missile system, the MFSTAR (multi-function surveillance and threat alert) radar and MRSAM (medium to long range air defence and anti-missile defence surface-to-air missile system) complex, a 76 mm SRGM, and an array of 30 mm and 12.7 mm close-in weapon systems, along with rockets and torpedoes for anti-submarine warfare.
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P17A frigates reflect a generational leap in indigenous ship design, stealth, survivability, and combat capability, the defence ministry noted.
These ships are configured with combined diesel or gas (CODOG) engines, which use both a diesel engine and a gas turbine to power a controllable pitch propeller (CPP) on each shaft. They also feature a modern integrated platform management system (IPMS) to control and monitor the ship's systems.
Taragiri is the fourth P17A ship to be delivered to the Indian Navy in the last 11 months. The lessons learned from building the first two P17A ships have helped shorten the construction time of the Taragiri to 81 months, compared to the 93 months it took to build the first ship (Nilgiri). The other three ships in the Project 17A (one at MDL and two at GRSE) are expected to be completed and delivered by August 2027.