The Indian Navy will commission two frontline stealth frigates, INS Udaygiri (F35) and INS Himgiri (F34), on August 26, 2025, in Visakhapatnam. This will be the first time that two major surface combatants built by different Indian shipyards will be inducted into the fleet together.
Udaygiri, the second ship of the Project 17A class, has been built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) in Mumbai. Himgiri, the first of the same class built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata, will join the fleet alongside it.
The Project 17A frigates are an improved version of the Shivalik-class frigates. Each ship displaces around 6,700 tons and features a design that reduces its radar signature.
They are powered by a Combined Diesel or Gas (CODOG) propulsion system that uses both diesel engines and gas turbines to drive controllable-pitch propellers. The ships are managed through an Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS).
Their weapons systems include supersonic surface-to-surface missiles, medium-range surface-to-air missiles, a 76 mm main gun, 30 mm and 12.7 mm close-in weapon systems, and anti-submarine warfare equipment.
Udaygiri also marks the 100th ship designed by the Navy’s Warship Design Bureau. Both ships are part of a manufacturing ecosystem involving over 200 micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), supporting around 4,000 direct and 10,000 indirect jobs.
The commissioning comes after extensive sea trials, which tested the ships’ machinery, fire safety, damage control and navigation systems.
This event is part of a wider push for self-reliance in defence manufacturing under the Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiatives. Other platforms commissioned by the Indian Navy in 2025 include INS Surat, INS Nilgiri, INS Vaghsheer, INS Arnala and INS Nistar.
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