Udaygiri (Yard 12652) is one of the most modern ships and is an example of self-reliance.
Credit: Special arrangement
Mumbai: In a significant development, Udaygiri, the second ship of Project 17A stealth fridge, being built at the Mumbai-based Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd, was delivered to the Indian Navy on Tuesday.
Udaygiri (Yard 12652) is one of the most modern ships and is an example of self-reliance.
The Project 17A 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, erstwhile INS Udaygiri which was a Steam Ship, decommissioned on August 24, 2007, after rendering 31 years of glorious service to the nation.
P-17A ships have enhanced stealth features and fitted with ‘State of the Art’ weapons and sensors, a significant upgrade from the P17 class. The ships represent a quantum leap in 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 P 17. These ships are fitted with an advanced weapon and sensor suite with enhanced ‘sleek and stealthy’ features compared to the P 17 class.
The ships are configured with Combined Diesel or Gas (CODOG) main propulsion plants, comprising a Diesel Engine and 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 supersonic Surface-to-Surface missile system, Medium-Range Surface to Air Missile system, 76 mm Gun, and a combination of 30 mm and 12.7 mm rapid-fire close-in Weapon Systems.
The delivery of Udaygiri showcases the nation’s ship design, ship construction and engineering prowess enabled by a strong industrial ecosystem supported by over 200 MSMEs. The warship is fitted with major weapons and sensors sourced from indigenous OEMs.
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 end 2026.