Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will inaugurate the second P17A stealth frigate built by warship maker Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) on July 15 in West Bengal’s capital city Kolkata.
The first P17A frigate called Himgiri was launched in December 2020 by Madhulika Rawat, the wife of the then Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat.
“This time, Defence Minister himself will come and launch it here so we are very happy,” said an official. The ceremony will be conducted in true maritime traditions with the application of vermillion, breaking of coconut on the ship’s bow and chanting of Vedic mantras.
The contract for the construction of three stealth frigates under Project 17A is the largest ever order awarded to the shipyard by the Ministry of Defence with a value of over Rs 19,293 crore.
P17A ships will be the most advanced state-of-the-art Guided Missile Frigates, 149 m long, with a displacement of approximately 6670 T and having an advanced CODOG Propulsion system enabling a speed of over 28 knots. These complex weapon platforms are equipped with a powerful weapon and sensor package capable of neutralising threats in all three dimensions, air, surface & sub-surface.
P17A Stealth Frigates are being built using Integrated Construction Methodology with enhanced pre-outfitting to enhance quality and reduce build periods. Fincantieri is the know-how provider for technology upgrade and capability enhancement in this project. Project 17A also is unique wherein, based on the basic design prepared by the Directorate of Naval Design, the construction is being done in two locations, MDL and GRSE concurrently. An intelligent PDM PLM system is being developed to manage the project and aid in its life cycle management.
According to sources, GRSE has given 105 warships so far to Maritime Forces, epitomizing the ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat’ efforts in letter and spirit.
Since its takeover by the Government of India in 1960, GRSE has delivered a plethora of high-end warships ranging from fast patrol vessels, survey vessels, LSTs, LCUs, fleet tankers, frigates and missile & ASW Corvettes. The shipyard also has the distinction of achieving over 90 per cent indigenous content, onboard ASW Corvettes and LCUs, a significant advancement towards self-reliance in state-of-the-art warship design and construction. Having modernized its infrastructure facilities, GRSE is today in a position to construct a large number of warships using Advanced Modular Integrated Shipbuilding Technology in line with the best in the world. This has helped enhance its capacity to the present level of constructing 20 warships concurrently.
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