INS Vindhyagiri: A look at capabilities of Navy’s sixth stealth frigate

INS Vindhyagiri has been named after the mountain range in Karnataka. The warship is equipped with improved stealth features, advanced weapons and sensors. Under Project 17A, a total of seven warships are being built, out of which four ships are made by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders and three by GRSE.

The project's first five ships have already been launched by MDL and GRSE between 2019 and 2022.

INS Vindhyagiri is the sixth warship of the Project 17A Frigates which is a technologically advanced ship that pays a relevant tribute to its predecessor the erstwhile INS Vindhyagiri, which was the Leander Class ASW Frigate. The previous INS Vindhyagiri served for nearly 31 years from July 8, 1981, to June 11, 2012. It had participated in many challenging operations and multinational exercises.

However, the newly launched INS Vindhyagiri is aimed to stand as a symbol of India's determination in embracing its rich naval heritage while stepping towards a future of indigenous defence opportunities.

Project 17A warships are being constructed in-house by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau. The project also aligns with 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' initiative as around 75 percent of the orders of Project 17A for equipment and systems are carried out from indigenous firms which include the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).