Stealth frigate ‘Taragiri’ delivered to Navy by MDL

Indigenous advanced stealth frigate ‘Taragiri’, endowed with state-of-the-art combat capabilities, has been delivered to the Navy, officials said on Saturday.

The fourth ship of Nilgiri-class (Project 17A) and the third one built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilding Ltd (MDL), ‘Taragiri’ (Yard 12653), was delivered to the Navy on November 28 at MDL, Mumbai, marking a major milestone in achieving self-reliance in warship design and construction.

This state-of-the-art frigate reflects a “quantum leap” in naval design, stealth, firepower, automation and survivability, and is a symbol of ‘aatmanirbharta’ in warship building, the Navy said.

Project 17A frigates are versatile multi-mission platforms, designed to address current and future challenges in the maritime domain.

The potent weapon and sensors suite comprises BrahMos missile, MFSTAR (radar) and MRSAM (medium-range surface-to-air missile) complex, and a combination of 30 mm and 12.7 mm close-in weapon systems, along with rockets and torpedoes for anti-submarine warfare, the Navy said. ‘Taragiri’ is the fourth P17A ship to be delivered to the Indian Navy in the last 11 months.  The experience gained from the construction of the first two P17A ships has enabled the build-period of ‘Taragiri’ to be “compressed to 81 months, in comparison to 93 months taken for the first of the class (‘Nilgiri’),” a spokesperson of the Navy said.

The remaining three ships of Project 17A (one in MDL and two in GRSE — Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd) are planned to be delivered progressively by August 2026, the Navy said.

‘Taragiri’ is a reincarnation of the erstwhile INS Taragiri, a Leander-class frigate that was part of the Indian Naval fleet from May 16, 1980, to June 27, 2013, rendering 33 years of glorious service to the nation.

Designed by the Warship Design Bureau (WDB) and overseen by the Warship Overseeing Team (Mumbai), P17A frigates reflect a “generational leap” in indigenous ship design, stealth, survivability, and combat capability, the Navy said.

Driven by the philosophy of integrated construction, the ship was built and delivered in the envisaged timelines. P17A ships are fitted with an advanced weapon and sensor suite compared to the P17 (Shivalik) class.

“These ships are configured with Combined Diesel or Gas (CODOG) propulsion plants, comprising a diesel engine and a gas turbine that drive a Controllable Pitch Propeller (CPP) on each shaft, and a state-of-the-art Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS),” it said.

Delivery of ‘Taragiri’ showcases the design, ship construction and engineering prowess of the nation, and reflects the Navy’s unrelenting focus on ‘aatmanirbharta’ in both ship design and shipbuilding.

With an indigenisation content of 75 per cent, the project has involved more than 200 MSMEs and has enabled employment generation of approximately 4,000 personnel directly and more than 10,000 personnel indirectly, it said.