The second Project 17A Guided-Missile Frigate:
Rajnath Singh, the defence minister, will inaugurate the second Project 17A guided-missile frigate built by the warship manufacturer Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) today (15 July) in Kolkata.
Before being delivered to the Indian Navy, the Nilgiri-class frigate will be outfitted with weapons and sensors and put through a rigorous testing process. The wife of the then-chief of the defence staff, General Bipin Rawat, Madhulika Rawat, launched Himgiri, the first P17A frigate constructed by GRSE, in December 2020.
Under Project 17A, a total of seven Nilgiri-class frigates are being built. Three of these warships are being built by GRSE, and Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited is building the others for us. Warships from the Project 17A have already sailed three times. The 149-meter-long Project 17A ships have a displacement of about 6,670 tonnes and travel at a speed of 28 knots.
The three stealth frigates under Project 17A are being built under a contract of Rs 19,294 crore, which is the highest order GRSE has ever received. According to sources who spoke to the media, the Kolkata-based defence PSU now has an order book of almost Rs 24,000 crore. Although GRSE engages in other manufacturing operations including building Bailey bridges and a diesel engine facility in Ranchi, the official noted that shipbuilding accounts for roughly 95% of the company’s revenue.
According to officials, the company is currently engaged in six projects that will result in the construction of 23 ships, including one passenger ship for Guyana and six patrol vessels for Bangladesh.
