The Hon’ble President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu, launched INS Vindhyagiri, the sixth Stealth Frigate of Project 17A being built at GRSE on Thursday. A surge of joy raced across the assembly as INS Vindhyagiri fell into the Hoogly River.
Dignitaries, naval officers, shipbuilders, and spectators all applauded heartily in praise of the warship and the crew behind her construction. Shri CV Ananda Bose, Hon’ble Governor of West Bengal, Ms Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal Chief Minister, and Shri Ajay Bhatt The launch ceremony was attended by various dignitaries, including Raksha Rajya Mantri, Admiral R Hari Kumar, Chief of Naval Staff, and other senior officers from the Indian Navy and MoD.
INS Vindhyagiri: Project 17A
Project 17A Frigates are the Project 17 (Shivalik Class) Frigates’ successors, featuring better stealth, upgraded weapons and sensors, and platform management systems. MDL and GRSE are building seven Project 17A Frigates in various stages. The design of the Advanced Stealth Frigates also demonstrates the Warship Design Bureau’s ability to create technologically advanced warships for the Indian Navy.
The launch strengthens the country’s indigenous expertise and engineering capabilities, lowering India’s dependency on foreign suppliers, encouraging self-sufficiency, and developing a strong military-industrial base. Over 75% of the orders of Project 17A, have been placed on indigenous enterprises including MSMEs, keeping in accordance with the Government’s goal of ‘Aatma Nirbhar Bharat’.
The Hon’ble President of India expressed her great joy and heartfelt thanks for the amazing achievements of the Warship Design Bureau and other Naval Teams in fulfilling the nation’s objective of self-reliance in warship development during the occasion. She also praised GRSE for its persistent dedication and strong support for warship production.
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The shipyard effort has substantially aided the Indian Navy in carrying out its ship induction strategy and emerging as a powerful force in the Indian Ocean Region. She hoped that as the freshly christened ‘Vindhyagiri’ touches the waters of the great Hooghly for the first time, it draws power from the very mountains it is named after, sailing with unflinching purpose and upholding the ideals we hold dear.
Advanced Stealth Frigate INS Vindhyagiri
INS Vindhyagiri was an Indian Navy Nilgiri-class frigate. Vindhyagiri was launched on July 8, 1981. On 30 January 2011, she sank after nearly thirty years of service after colliding with a German commerce vessel. Despite being salvaged, the Navy decommissioned her on June 11, 2012, a year before her scheduled retirement date. Vindhyagiri served for 31 years, including a stint as the Western Naval Command’s flagship. Indian Navy now launched the new Frigate with the same name that is INS Vindhyagiri of Project 17A.
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