On July 15, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will launch the second P17A stealth frigate built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) in West Bengal’s capital city of 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 Ministry of Defence’s largest ever order, valued at more than Rs 19,293 crore.
About P17A ship
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 project’s know-how provider for
technology upgrades and capability enhancement. Project 17A is also unique in that it is being built in two locations, MDL and GRSE, concurrently, based on the basic design prepared by the Directorate of Naval Design. An intelligent PDM PLM system is being developed to manage the project and aid in its life cycle management.
GRSE has given 105 warships so far to Maritime Forces
According to sources, the GRSE has so far provided 105 warships to the Maritime Forces, exemplifying the ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat’ efforts in both letter and spirit. GRSE has delivered a plethora of high-end warships since its takeover by the Government of India in 1960, including fast patrol vessels, survey vessels, LSTs, LCUs, fleet tankers, frigates, and missile & ASW Corvettes.
The shipyard has also achieved over 90% indigenous content onboard ASW Corvettes and LCUs, a significant step toward self-reliance in cutting-edge warship design and construction. After modernising its infrastructure, GRSE is now able to build a large number of warships using Advanced Modular Integrated Shipbuilding Technology on par with the best in the world. This has contributed to its current capacity of building 20 warships at the same time.
