Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) on Friday announced the delivery of two major warships-- Nilgiri and Surat, to the Indian Navy.
The delivery included the First Stealth Frigate of the Project 17A Class and the Fourth Stealth Destroyer of the Project 15B Class, named Yard 12707 (SURAT).
According to an official release, both warships have been designed by the Indian Navy's Warship Design Bureau, constructed by MDL and overseen by the Warship Overseeing Team, Mumbai.
The Acceptance Document was signed by Sanjeev Singhal, Chairman and Managing Director, MDL and RAdm R Adhisrinivasan, CSO (Tech) at MDL in the presence of MDL Directors, Capt Sandeep Shorey Commanding Officer (Design) Surat, Captain Nitin Kapoor Commanding Officer (Design) Nilgiri, Teams from Warship Design Bureau, Warship Overseeing Team (Mumbai), Project Team and Navy personnel today.
Nilgiri is the First of Class (FoC) ship of Project 17A. This Ship features cutting-edge advanced technology and is comparable to the finest ships of similar class anywhere in the world. Nilgiri is designed indigenously by the Indian Navy's Warship Design Bureau, New Delhi.
Nilgiri incorporates the design concepts for improved survivability, seakeeping, stealth and ship manoeuvrability. Nilgiri is state of the art having stealth features and the same has been achieved through the shaping of the hull and the use of radar transparent deck fittings which make ships difficult to detect.
This ship is packed with an array of state-of-the-art weapons and sensors and has all-round capability against enemy submarines, surface warships, anti-ship missiles, and fighter aircraft. The ship has mounted guns for close-in defence capability and effective naval gunfire.
Nilgiri is enabled to operate independently without supporting vessels, and also to function as the flagship of the Naval task force. With significant Indigenous content, this ship is a true hallmark of self-reliance attained by our country in Warship Design and Shipbuilding and a shining example of the 'Make in India' philosophy by the Government of India.
Surat is the fourth ship of Project 15B and is a potent platform capable of undertaking a variety of tasks and missions, spanning the full spectrum of maritime warfare. It is armed with supersonic Surface-to-Surface 'Brahmos missiles and 'Barak-8 Medium Range Surface Air Missiles.
Towards undersea warfare capability, the Destroyer is fitted with indigenously developed anti-submarine weapons and sensors, prominently the Hull-mounted Sonar Humsa NG, heavy-weight Torpedo Tube Launchers and ASW Rocket Launchers.
Significantly more versatile than the previous classes of Destroyer and Frigates in Naval inventory, SURAT's all-round capability against enemy submarines, surface warships, anti-ship missiles and fighter aircraft will enable it to operate independently without supporting vessels and also to function as the flagship of a Naval task force.
SURAT has been delivered to the Indian Navy ahead of the contractual time as the most combat-worthy platform to date. This reaffirms MDL's commitment towards continuous improvement and meeting exceeding Global Benchmarks.
The Indigenous content in P15B Class Destroyers is 72 per cent which is a notch above their predecessors P15A (59 per cent) and P15 (42 per cent) Class Destroyers, reaffirming the Government's focus on 'Atmanirbhar Bharat"' Programme along with large ecosystem development of sub-vendors.
MDL has always been at the forefront of the nation's progressive indigenous warship and submarine-building programme.
With the construction of the Leander and Godavari class Frigates, Khukri class Corvettes, Missile Boats, Delhi and Kolkata class Destroyers, Shivalik class Stealth Frigates, Visakhapatanam class Destroyers, Nilgiri class Frigates, the SSK submarines and Scorpene submarines under its belt, the history of modern-day MDL almost traces the trajectory of Indigenous warship and submarine building in India thereby deservedly earning the soubriquet 'Warship and Submarine Builders to the Nation'.
