The state-of-the-art ship, set for launch on September 11, has about 75 per cent indigenous components sourced from major industrial houses and over 100 MSMEs

The euphoria over the grand commissioning of INS Vikrant, India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, is not over yet and the country is all set to witness the launch of the Indian Navy’s homemade stealth frigate Taragiri on September 11. The back-to-back events help show the Indian Navy’s transformation from a ‘buyer’ to a ‘builder’ over the years. Over 90 warships have been built in India since 1964, from small craft to an aircraft carrier.

Taragiri, the third of the navy’s stealth frigates under Project 17A, will be launched by the Mumbai-based Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL). The company had, a couple of months ago, launched two frontline warships—Udaygiri, the second stealth frigate of the Nilgiri class, and Surat, the fourth missile destroyer of the Visakhapatnam class.

Details shared by MDL put the indigenous component in Taragiri at 75 per cent. The ship was built using an integrated construction methodology, which involves hull block construction in different geographical locations and integration/ erection on slipway at the shipyard. The keel of the Taragiri was laid on September 10, 2020 and it is expected to be delivered by August 2025.

According to MDL, the 3,510 tonne ship has been designed by the navy’s Directorate of Naval Design. The construction was overseen by the Warship Overseeing Team (Mumbai). The 149-metre long and 17.8-metre wide ship is propelled by a combination of two gas turbines and two main diesel engines, which are designed to achieve a speed of over 28 knots (about 52 km per hour) at a displacement of approximately 6,670 tonnes. The hull of P-17A frigates have been constructed of low carbon, micro alloy-grade steel manufactured by SAIL (Steel Authority of India Limited).

The stealth frigate will have state-of-the-art weapons, sensors, an advanced action information system, an integrated platform management system, world-class modular living spaces, a sophisticated power distribution system and a host of other advanced features. It will be fitted with a supersonic surface-to-surface missile system. The ship’s air defence capability, designed to counter enemy aircraft and anti-ship cruise missiles, will revolve around the vertical-launch and long-range surface-to-air missile systems. Two 30 mm rapid-fire guns will provide the ship with close-in defence capability. Indigenously developed triple tube lightweight torpedo launchers and rocket launchers will add punch to the ship’s anti-submarine capabilities.

The 75 per cent indigenous content in the frigate is a notch better than its predecessors, P-17 Shivalik-class ships. Taragiri will be integrated with a large number of indigenous equipment and machinery sourced from major industrial houses in the country as well as over 100 MSMEs. “Indigenisation efforts have received a renewed thrust with the ‘Make in India‘ policy, leading to the development of ancillary industries along with the generation of employment both locally as well as at a pan-India level. This, in turn, is strengthening the economy,” an MDL official said.