Vishakhapatnam

Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi highlighted the Indian Navy's growing maritime strength and its critical role in safeguarding national security, citing the operational success of 'Operation Sindoor'.

Speaking at the commissioning ceremony of two state-of-the-art Project 17A multi-mission stealth frigates, INS Udaygiri and INS Himgiri, Admiral Tripathi said the Navy today stands as a "credible deterrence against India's enemies".

Admiral Tripathi reiterated that Operation Sindoor remains 'unfinished', and the Navy will be the first to act this time if the situation demands.

"In this era of uncertainties and competition, the Indian Navy's capability to deliver an overwhelming force at sea is a credible deterrence against India's enemies. We demonstrated it well during Operation Sindoor. The swift deployment and aggressive posturing of our units held the Pakistan Navy captive in a way and forced them to request us to end kinetic actions," he said.

Reaffirming the Navy's readiness, the Navy Chief said, "Sir, a few days ago, from the deck of INS Vikrant, you had assured the Indian Navy that Operation Sindoor has not ended, and if the need arises again, there is a probability that the Indian Navy will do the opening."

The commissioning ceremony, attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, marked a significant milestone in India's naval modernisation programme.

"As you may recall, earlier this year, after the successful commissioning of Surat, Nilgiri, and Baksheer, we have, in the last two months, commissioned Tamal, Arnala, and Nistar into the Navy. Following all these, today's double commissioning stands as a clear testimony to India's growing maritime strength, steady progress, and dynamic expansion," he said.

Drawing a historical connection, Admiral Tripathi noted, "The ships being commissioned today have their illustrious predecessors in the Leander-class frigates, which were the pioneers of their time. They ushered the Indian Navy towards advanced digital electronic systems and multi-dimensional capabilities."

"Modern and state-of-the-art platforms like Udaygiri and Himgiri make us more capable of giving an opening knock-out punch to the enemy," he added.

INS Udaygiri and INS Himgiri are follow-on ships of the Project 17 (Shivalik) class frigates. Both frigates were designed in-house by the Indian Navy's Warship Design Bureau (WDB), and notably, Udaygiri is the 100th ship designed by the WDB, marking a milestone in five decades of indigenous warship design.

According to the Ministry of Defence, both vessels incorporate significant enhancements in stealth features, weapon and sensor systems, and are capable of executing a full spectrum of maritime missions in Blue Water conditions.

INS Udaygiri was constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd. (MDL), Mumbai, and INS Himgiri by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata. The ships reflect India's growing indigenous shipbuilding capabilities and the synergy between the country's premier defence shipyards.

Udaygiri also holds the distinction of being the fastest ship of her class to be delivered post-launch, attributed to the modular construction methodology adopted by Indian shipyards. Both frigates will join the Eastern Fleet, enhancing India's maritime posture in the Indian Ocean Region.

In keeping with the Navy's tradition of reviving names of illustrious predecessors, both frigates are named after earlier INS Udaygiri (F35) and INS Himgiri (F34) that served the nation with distinction for over 30 years before being decommissioned.

The commissioning of the new Udaygiri and Himgiri thus honours the legacy of their forebearers while ushering in a new era of capability.

According to the statement, they are powered by Combined Diesel or Gas (CODOG) propulsion plants using diesel engines and gas turbines that drive controllable-pitch propellers and are managed through an Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS).

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The weapon suite includes supersonic Surface-to-Surface Missiles, Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missiles, 76 mm MR Gun and a combination of 30 mm and 12.7 mm Close-in Weapon Systems and the Anti-submarine/ Underwater weapon systems.