Indian Navy Receives Two Indigenous Warships: Nilgiri and Surat
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Mumbai, December 20 (NationPress) Mazagon Docks Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) achieved a remarkable feat by handing over two indigenously constructed, state-of-the-art Capital Warships, ‘Nilgiri’ and ‘Surat’, to the Indian Navy, as announced by officials on Friday.
The acceptance documents for the first Stealth Frigate of P17A Class, ‘Nilgiri’, and the fourth Guided Missile Destroyer of P15B Class, ‘Surat’, were signed by MDL Chairman-Managing Director Sanjeev Singhal and CSO (Tech) R. Adhisrinivasan, and were subsequently handed over to senior officials of the Indian Navy.
Both warships were designed by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau, constructed by MDL, and supervised by the Warship Overseeing Team in Mumbai.
‘Nilgiri’ serves as the First of Class (FoC) ship of Project 17A, featuring cutting-edge technology that rivals the best in its class globally.
It integrates design principles for enhanced survivability, superior sea-keeping, stealth, and ship maneuverability with state-of-the-art stealth characteristics achieved through hull shaping and radar-absorbent deck fittings, making the vessel challenging to detect.
This ship is equipped with a comprehensive suite of advanced weapons and sensors, capable of engaging enemy submarines, surface vessels, anti-ship missiles, and fighter aircraft, alongside mounted guns for close-in defense and effective naval gunfire.
With a significant indigenous design, ‘Nilgiri’ can operate autonomously without support vessels and is also capable of serving as the flagship of a naval task force.
‘Surat’, the fourth ship of Project 15B, is a formidable platform designed to execute various tasks and missions across the entire spectrum of maritime warfare.
It is armed with supersonic Surface-to-Surface ‘BrahMos’ missiles and ‘Barak-8’ Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missiles.
For undersea warfare, the destroyer ‘Surat’ is equipped with domestically developed anti-submarine weapons and sensors, prominently featuring the Hull-mounted Sonar Humsa NG, Heavyweight Torpedo Tube Launchers, and ASW Rocket Launchers.
Significantly more versatile than earlier classes of Destroyers and Frigates in the naval arsenal, ‘Surat’ boasts all-around capabilities against enemy submarines, surface vessels, anti-ship missiles, and fighter aircraft, enabling it to operate independently without supporting vessels and serve as the flagship of a naval task force.
The indigenous content in P15B Class Destroyers is 72%, surpassing the 59% of their predecessors P15A and 42% of P15 Class Destroyers, aligning with the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative of the government.
