President Launches Indian Navy's Advanced Frigate 'Vindhyagiri' (Image:IndianNavy)
Vindhyagiri, the sixth advanced stealth frigate of project 17A of Indian Navy was launched by President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday. She praised the courage and valor of Indian Navy in the event saying that they “protect, preserve, and promote India’s maritime interests”.
“The Navy has to always remain proactive in tackling security threats”, she added.
I am very happy to be here at the launch of Vindhyagiri. This event marks a move forward in enhancing India’s maritime capabilities. Vindhyagiri is also a step towards achieving the goal of Atmanirbhar Bharat through indigenous ship building pic.twitter.com/ExfvpM1FKt
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) August 17, 2023
Here are the things to know about Vindhyagiri
- Vindhyagiri is the sixth frigate ship of Project 17A , which envisions the launch of seven ships in total. The project”s first five ships have been launched between 2019 and 2022.
- This technologically advanced frigate was launched by President Droupadi Murmu on 17 August 2023.
- The ship was designed in-house by the Indian Navy”s Warship Design Bureau.
- It was constructed at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE) in West Bengal”s Kolkata.
- Vindhyagiri is named after the mountain range located in Karnataka”s Shravanabelagola. And is a tribute to its predecessor, the old Vindhyagiri, which was in service for nearly 31 years (8 July 1981 to 11 Jun 2012).
- The new warship is distinctive with improved stealth features, advanced weapons and sensors, and platform management systems.
- It will stand as a symbol of India”s determination to embrace its rich naval heritage while propelling itself towards a future of indigenous defence capabilities.
- Aligning with the country”s resolute commitment to “AatmaNirbharta”, a substantial 75% of the orders for equipment and systems of Project 17A ships are from indigenous firms, including Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
- The entire 4000 tonnes of Special Steel required for the manufacture of Vindhyagiri was supplied by the Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL). It comprises DMR 249 A grade HR Sheets and Plates.
- SAIL has also made a remarkable contribution to INS Vikrant with the entire 30,000 tonnes of specialty steel for the construction.
