Nilgiri-class frigate (2019)

Not to be confused with the Nilgiri-class frigates – a class of specifically modified-Leander-class frigates which served in the Indian Navy from 1972 to 2013.

An animated rendering of the Nilgiri-class frigate.
Class overview
NameNilgiri class
Builders
Operators Indian Navy
Preceded byShivalik class
Succeeded byProject 17B class
Cost
  • ₹4,000 crore (equivalent to ₹47 billion or US$560 million in 2023) per frigate (Estimated)[1]
  • ₹45,000 crore (equivalent to ₹530 billion or US$6.3 billion in 2023) (Total deal)[2]
Planned7
Building6
Completed1
General characteristics
TypeGuided-missile frigate
Displacement6,670 t (6,560 long tons)
Length149 m (488 ft 10 in)
Beam17.8 m (58 ft 5 in)
Draft5.22 m (17 ft 2 in)
Depth9.9 m (32 ft 6 in)
Installed power
PropulsionCODAG[3]
Speed32 kn (59 km/h)
Range
  • 2,500 nmi (4,600 km) at 28 kn (52 km/h)
  • 5,500 nmi (10,200 km) at 16–18 kn (30–33 km/h)
Boats & landing
craft carried		2 x RHIB
Complement226 (Including 35 officers)
Sensors and
processing systems
Electronic warfare
& decoys
Armament
Aircraft carried1 × HAL Dhruv (or) Sea King Mk. 42B helicopters
Aviation facilitiesEnclosed helicopter hangar capable of accommodating one multi-role helicopters.
NotesFirst major class of Indian-designed warships to be built using integrated modular construction.[4]

The Nilgiri-class frigates, formally classified as the Project-17 Alpha frigates (P-17A), are a series of stealth guided-missile frigates currently being built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders (MDL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) for the Indian Navy (IN).[5][6]

Designed by the Warship Design Bureau, the class is intended to serve as a complement to the currently-serving Shivalik-class frigates (P-17) with improved design portfolios, such as low radar cross-section (RCS) and reduced infrared signature.[7][8]

With a total of seven vessels, the construction of the frigates are currently divided between MDL and GRSE.[5][6] As of 2024, all seven frigates have been launched and are intended to enter service with the IN between 2024 and 2027.[9]

Upon entering service, the class is to be complemented by an additional series of eight frigates, deemed the Project-17 Bravo (P-17B) series, expectedly by the 2030s.[10][11]

  1. ^ "Keel laid for the third Project 17 stealth frigate". indiastrategic.in. September 2020.
  2. ^ "Navy seals 45,000-cr deal: seven warships". The Indian Express. 20 June 2009. Archived from the original on 15 January 2011. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  3. ^ "Nilgiri-Class (Project 17A) Guided-Missile Frigates, India". Naval-technology.com.
  4. ^ "Indian Project 17A frigate programme moves forward". shephardmedia.com. 3 October 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited – Products – Naval Ships". mazagondock.in.
  6. ^ a b "Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd. – Product Profile – Frigate". grse.in.
  7. ^ "LAUNCH OF Y3024 (VINDHYAGIRI) ON 17 AUGUST 2023". pib.gov.in. 13 August 2023.
  8. ^ Sengupta, Prasan K. (September 2012). "CCNS finally kickstarts Indian Navy's Project 17A". ForceIndia.com. Archived from the original on 18 February 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  9. ^ Mohanan, Kalesh (April–June 2012). "Indigenous Warship Building". Indian Defence Review. Vol. 27, no. 2.
  10. ^ Pubby, Manu (18 July 2024). "Mazagon, Garden Reach Shipbuilders lead race for Defence Ministry's ₹70,000 crore warships order". The Economic Times. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  11. ^ Menon, Adithya Krishna (13 August 2023). "India Proceeds with New Submarines, Surface Ships Development". Naval News. Retrieved 26 August 2024.