Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) a Navratna CPSE has delivered the First Stealth Frigate of Project 17A Class Ship and the Fourth Stealth Destroyer of Project 15B Class Guided Missile Destroyer i.e. Yard 12707 (SURAT) to the Indian Navy on 20 Dec 24. Both the warships have been designed by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau, constructed by MDL and overseen by Warship Overseeing Team, Mumbai. The Acceptance Document was signed by Sanjeev Singhal, Chairman & Managing Director, MDL and RAdm R Adhisrinivasan, CSO (Tech) at MDL in the presence of MDL Directors, Capt Sandeep Shorey Commanding Officer (Desig) Surat, Capt Nitin Kapoor Commanding Officer (Desig) Nilgiri, Teams from Warship Design Bureau, Warship Overseeing Team (Mumbai), Project Team and Navy personnel on Friday.
Nilgiri is the First of Class (FoC) ship of Project 17A. This Ship features cutting edge advanced technology and is comparable to the finest ships of similar class anywhere in the world. Nilgiri is designed indigenously by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau, New Delhi. Nilgiri incorporates the design concepts for improved survivability, sea keeping, stealth and ship manoeuvrability. Nilgiri is state of the art having stealth feature and the same have been achieved through shaping of hull and use of radar transparent deck fittings which make ships difficult to detect.
This ship is packed with an array of state of the art weapons and sensors and have all-round capability against enemy submarines, surface warship, anti-ship missiles, fighter aircraft. Ship has mounted with Guns for close in defence capability and effective naval gunfire. Nilgiri is enabled to operate independently without supporting vessels, and also to function as the flagship of Naval task force. With significant indigenous content, this ship is a true hallmark of self-reliance attained by our country in Warship Design and Shipbuilding and a shining example of the ‘Make in India’ philosophy by the Government of India.
Surat is the fourth ship of Project 15B and is a potent platform capable of undertaking a variety of tasks and missions, spanning the full spectrum of maritime warfare. It is armed with supersonic Surface-to-Surface ‘Brahmos’ missiles and ‘Barak-8’ Medium Range Surface to Air Missiles. Towards undersea warfare capability the Destroyer is fitted with indigenously developed anti-submarine weapons and sensors, prominently the Hull mounted Sonar Humsa NG, Heavy weight Torpedo Tube Launchers and ASW Rocket Launchers.
Significantly more versatile than the previous classes of Destroyer and Frigates in Naval inventory, SURAT’s all-round capability against enemy submarines, surface warships, anti-ship missiles and fighter aircraft will enable it to operate independently without supporting vessels and also to function as the flagship of a Naval task force.
SURAT has been delivered to the Indian Navy ahead of the contractual time as the most combat worthy platform till date. This reaffirms MDL’s commitment towards continuous improvement and meeting exceeding Global Benchmarks.
The indigenous content in P15B Class Destroyers is 72% which is a notch above their predecessors P15A (59%) and P15 (42%) Class Destroyers, reaffirming the Government’s focus in ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat”’ Programme along with large eco system development of sub vendors.
MDL has always been at the forefront of the nation’s progressive indigenous warship and submarine building programme. With the construction of the Leander and Godavari class Frigates, Khukri class Corvettes, Missile Boats, Delhi and Kolkata class Destroyers, Shivalik class Stealth Frigates, Visakhapatanam class Destroyers, Nilgiri class Frigates, the SSK submarines and Scorpene submarines under its belt, the history of modern day MDL almost traces the trajectory of indigenous warship and submarine building in India there by deservedly earning the soubriquet ‘Warship and Submarine Builders to the Nation’.
