INS Udaygiri, Himgiri are Navy's ships of the Nilgiri-class stealth-guided missile frigates

In a landmark moment for India’s naval modernisation, the Indian Navy is set to commission two state-of-the-art stealth frigates — INS Udaygiri (F35) and INS Himgiri (F34) — simultaneously on August 26, 2025, at Visakhapatnam.

This historic occasion marks the first time two major surface combatants from two different premier Indian shipyards will be inducted into active service at the same event. Both ships are part of the ambitious Project 17A (Nilgiri-class), a follow-on to the successful Project 17 Shivalik-class frigates, designed for versatile multi-mission roles and the ability to operate in blue-water environments, countering both conventional and non-conventional threats to India’s maritime interests.

The first ship of the P17A series, INS Nilgiri, was commissioned earlier in Mumbai in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January 2025.

INS Udaygiri, built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) in Mumbai, was delivered to the Navy on July 1, 2025, and holds the distinction of being the 100th ship designed by the Navy’s Warship Design Bureau (WDB) — underscoring India’s growing self-reliance in indigenous warship design and construction.

INS Himgiri, on the other hand, is the first P17A ship manufactured by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) in Kolkata, highlighting the Navy’s capacity to execute complex shipbuilding projects across multiple centres of excellence.

Of the seven P17A frigates planned, four are being built by MDL and the remaining three by GRSE, reinforcing the distributed yet collaborative nature of India’s warship building programme.

In terms of capability, both Udaygiri and Himgiri represent a generational leap over the earlier Shivalik-class frigates, with a displacement of approximately 6,700 tonnes — about 5% larger than their predecessors. They feature a sleeker design with a reduced radar cross-section, improving stealth characteristics.

Both ships are powered by combined diesel or gas (CODOG) propulsion plants, integrating diesel engines and gas turbines linked to controllable-pitch propellers, all monitored via an Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS) for optimal efficiency.

Their advanced weapon suite includes supersonic surface-to-surface missiles, medium-range surface-to-air missiles, a 76 mm medium-range main gun, close-in 30 mm and 12.7 mm weapon systems for point defence, and a sophisticated array of anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities.

The commissioning of these warships is also a powerful statement of the ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiatives in the defence sector. Construction involved participation from over 200 MSMEs, sustaining about 4,000 direct jobs and over 10,000 indirect jobs, thereby significantly empowering the Indian defence manufacturing ecosystem.

The ships have endured rigorous sea trials to validate performance in areas such as hull integrity, propulsion, navigation, communication, damage control, and firefighting systems, confirming their readiness for immediate operational deployment.

This milestone also comes amid a broader phase of rapid fleet expansion. In 2025 alone, the Indian Navy commissioned several indigenous platforms, including the destroyer INS Surat, frigate INS Nilgiri, submarine INS Vaghsheer, ASW Shallow Water Craft INS Arnala, and Diving Support Vessel INS Nistar. Alongside these developments, the Navy has also advanced its maritime diplomacy. Notably, INS Tamal, the newest stealth frigate commissioned in Russia on July 1, 2025, recently completed a port call at Casablanca, Morocco, from August 6–9 during her return voyage to India.

This visit — the third by an Indian naval ship to Casablanca in the last two years — underscores India’s growing outreach and bilateral naval cooperation, as INS Tamal continues her transit home via multiple European and Asian ports.

The simultaneous commissioning of INS Udaygiri and INS Himgiri will thus not merely be a ceremonial induction, but a symbolic reinforcement of India’s growing shipbuilding expertise, indigenous defence capability, and maritime power projection.

As the two grey hulls join the Navy’s fleet in unison, they will stand as visible proof of a self-reliant India — ships built in India, designed by Indians, and crewed by Indian sailors, ready to safeguard the nation’s maritime frontiers.

Based On A PTI Report