The Indian Navy is set to commission three warships (INS Dunagiri, INS Agray, and INS Sanshodhak) together in Kolkata later this week, marking a significant milestone in the country’s naval modernisation efforts.
Sources said the ceremony is expected to be attended by a top Union government dignitary and is likely to coincide with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Kolkata.
The Kolkata ceremony will be only the second instance in recent years of three frontline naval platforms being commissioned together. The previous such event took place in January last year, when Prime Minister Modi commissioned destroyer INS Surat, frigate INS Nilgiri, and submarine INS Vaghsheer at Mumbai’s Naval Dockyard.
INS Dunagiri is the fifth Project 17A frigate and the second of its class to be built at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE). The frigate is armed with BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, surface-to-air missiles and close-in weapon systems. It is powered by a Combined Diesel or Gas (CODOG) propulsion system and incorporates an Integrated Platform Management System.
The warship was delivered in 80 months, compared to the 93 months taken for the lead ship, INS Nilgiri. Two more Project 17A frigates, INS Mahendragiri and INS Vindhyagiri, are yet to be commissioned.
INS Agray is the fifth vessel under the 16-ship Arnala-class Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC) programme approved in 2013. Designed for operations in littoral waters, the vessel is equipped with lightweight torpedoes, indigenous anti-submarine rocket launchers, and advanced sonar systems.
The platform is specifically tailored for sub-hunting in shallow coastal waters, a capability that assumes significance given the Pakistan Navy’s continued focus on strengthening its submarine arm, including the induction of Hangor-class submarines.
INS Sanshodhak is the fourth and final vessel of the Sandhayak-class survey ship programme. The 110-metre-long vessel displaces about 3,300 tonnes and is equipped with Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs), and advanced hydrographic survey systems used for seabed mapping and navigational charting.
Together, the three vessels will significantly strengthen the Indian Navy’s capabilities in surface warfare, anti-submarine operations and hydrographic surveying, further enhancing India’s maritime security and operational readiness.
