INS Mahendragiri joins Indian Navy: Rajnath Singh commissions indigenous stealth frigate
The Union Defence Ministry commissioned INS Mahendragiri, the sixth Project 17A (Nilgiri-class) stealth frigate, into the Indian Navy at the Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam
The warship was built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Mumbai, to an in-house design by the Indian Navy's Warship Design Bureau (WDB)
It is the first Indian naval warship named after the Mahendragiri hill range in the Eastern Ghats and carries an indigenous content of over 75%
The frigate is equipped for anti-air, anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare, along with maritime security, search-and-rescue and humanitarian assistance/disaster relief (HADR) roles
Project 17A (Nilgiri-class) — India's Latest Stealth Frigates
Project 17A is a follow-on class to the Shivalik-class (Project 17) frigates, incorporating improved stealth shaping, indigenous weapons/sensors, and modular construction. Seven ships were sanctioned in 2015, split between two shipyards, of which Mahendragiri is the sixth to be commissioned.
Key Details
- Contract: MDL (Mumbai) ordered 4 ships in February 2015; GRSE (Kolkata) ordered 3 ships in April 2015
- Full class of seven: INS Nilgiri, INS Himgiri, INS Udaygiri, INS Dunagiri, INS Taragiri, INS Vindhyagiri, INS Mahendragiri
- Displacement approx. 6,670 tonnes (vs approx. 6,115 tonnes for the older Shivalik-class), with a reduced crew of about 225 (down from 255)
- First class of Indian Navy frigates to use vertical-launch (VLS) surface-to-air missiles — 32-cell VLS for Barak-8 medium-range SAMs, replacing the older single-arm launcher used for Barak-1 on Project 17
- Equipped with the indigenous MF-STAR active electronically scanned array radar and CMS-17A combat management system
Mahendragiri's commissioning marks the near-completion of the Project 17A programme, with the class's improved stealth shaping, VLS-based air defence, and higher indigenous content representing a generational upgrade over the Shivalik-class it succeeds.
Defence Indigenisation — Buy (Indian-IDDM) and Atmanirbhar Bharat in Shipbuilding
Indian defence procurement is guided by the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP), which prioritises indigenous design, development and manufacture (IDDM) over imports, in line with the government's Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliance) push in the defence sector.
Key Details
- DAP 2020 made "Buy (Indian-IDDM)" the highest-priority procurement category, requiring indigenous design plus a minimum indigenous content threshold (raised from 50% to 60% under the draft DAP 2026)
- The government has notified multiple Positive Indigenisation Lists covering thousands of items for which imports are banned, guaranteeing demand for domestic defence manufacturers
- Warship construction under this framework is carried out by Defence Public Sector Undertakings (MDL, GRSE, Cochin Shipyard) in partnership with private-sector component suppliers
INS Mahendragiri's greater-than-75% indigenous content reflects the practical outcome of the Buy (Indian-IDDM) push, positioning naval shipbuilding as a flagship case of the Atmanirbhar Bharat defence strategy.
Naval Warfare Roles — Multi-Mission Frigate Design
Modern frigates like the Nilgiri-class are designed as "multi-mission" platforms capable of anti-air warfare (AAW), anti-surface warfare (ASuW) and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) simultaneously, alongside secondary roles such as HADR and search-and-rescue.
Key Details
- AAW: handled via VLS-launched Barak-8 missiles guided by the MF-STAR radar
- ASW: supported by sonar suites and torpedo systems for detecting and engaging submarines
- ASuW: anti-ship missiles and naval gun systems for surface engagement
- Blue-water capability allows sustained deployment across the Indian Ocean Region and beyond, supporting India's role as a "net security provider" in the region
Mahendragiri's multi-mission design allows it to be deployed flexibly for combat operations as well as non-traditional security missions (HADR, anti-piracy, maritime security), consistent with the Indian Navy's evolving doctrine for the Indian Ocean Region.
- Commissioned: July 11, 2026, at Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam
- Sixth of seven Project 17A frigates; built by MDL, Mumbai (design by Indian Navy's Warship Design Bureau)
- Displacement: approx. 6,670 tonnes; indigenous content: over 75%
- Armament: 32-cell VLS with Barak-8 medium-range SAMs; MF-STAR AESA radar; CMS-17A combat management system
- Programme timeline: INS Nilgiri commissioned January 2025; INS Udaygiri and INS Himgiri commissioned together August 2025; INS Taragiri commissioned April 2026; INS Mahendragiri commissioned July 2026
- Named after the Mahendragiri hill range, Eastern Ghats — first Indian Navy ship to bear this name