New Delhi: In a significant stride towards self-reliance in defence manufacturing, Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) has delivered Himgiri (Yard 3022), the third ship of the Nilgiri-class (Project 17A), to the Indian Navy on Thursday. The vessel is the first of its class to be constructed by GRSE and has been handed over at a formal ceremony held at the shipyard in Kolkata.
Project 17A frigates are advanced, multi-mission warships designed to enhance India’s maritime capabilities and address evolving strategic challenges. "Himgiri" stands as a reincarnation of the erstwhile INS Himgiri, a Leander-class frigate that served the nation for three decades before being decommissioned in May 2005.
The newly delivered warship represents a technological leap in terms of stealth, firepower, automation, and survivability. Designed indigenously by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau and constructed under the oversight of the Warship Overseeing Team (Kolkata), the Himgiri embodies cutting-edge naval engineering and modular, ergonomic construction, delivered within the envisaged timelines.
Equipped with superior weapon and sensor systems compared to the earlier Project 17 (Shivalik-class) vessels, Himgiri features a Combined Diesel or Gas (CODOG) propulsion system with a diesel engine and a gas turbine driving Controllable Pitch Propellers (CPPs). It also incorporates a state-of-the-art Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS) for efficient operations.
The frigate’s advanced weapon suite includes supersonic Surface-to-Surface missiles, a Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile system, a 76 mm main gun, and multiple rapid-fire Close-in Weapon Systems (CIWS) in 30 mm and 12.7 mm calibres.
With an indigenous content of 75 percent, the project is a hallmark of the Indian Navy’s continued thrust on Aatmanirbharta (self-reliance) in shipbuilding. More than 200 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) were involved in the project at GRSE, supporting the employment of around 4,000 personnel directly and over 10,000 indirectly.
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