Indian Navy: Third Nilgiri-class frigate delivered

Himgiri (Yard 3022), the third ship of Nilgiri-class (Project 17A) and the first of the class built at Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), has been delivered to the Indian Navy.

As informed, the vessel was handed over on July 31, 2025, in Kolkata. The Project 17A frigates are versatile multi-mission platforms, designed to address current and future challenges in the maritime domain.

Designed by the Warship Design Bureau (WDB) and overseen by the Warship Overseeing Team (Kolkata), P17A frigates reflect a generational leap in indigenous ship design. The vessels are equipped with an advanced weapon and sensor suite, surpassing that of the P17 (Shivalik) class. These ships are configured with combined diesel or gas (CODOG) propulsion plants, comprising a diesel engine and gas turbine, that drive a controllable pitch propeller (CPP) on each shaft.

The weapon suite comprises a supersonic surface-to-surface missile system, a medium-range surface-to-air missile system, a 76 mm gun, and a combination of 30 mm and 12.7 mm rapid-fire close-in weapon systems.

Delivery of Himgiri reflects the Indian Navy’s focus on Aatmanirbharta in both ship design and shipbuilding. With an indigenous content of 75%, the project has involved over 200 MSMEs at GRSE and has enabled the generation of employment for approximately. 4,000 personnel directly and more than 10,000 personnel indirectly, according to the Indian Navy.

INS Nilgiri, the first P17 stealth frigate, joined the Indian Navy’s fleet in January this year. Under the P17A program, there are a total of seven ships, with four frigates being built at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) and three at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE).