INS "Mahendragiri"

INS "Mahendragiri"

Ready to Launch

This topic is related to Current Affairs of IAS/PCS Prelims and Mains Exam General Studies Question Paper 3 Defense Technical

August 30, 2023

In News:

  • The seventh state-of-the-art stealth warship Mahendragiri (YAI 12654), the last of the Nilgiri class, will be commissioned by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on 1 September 2023 at Mazagon Dockyard Limited (MDL), Mumbai.

Main points:

  • Apart from him, the ceremony will be attended by Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar and several senior officers of the Western Command of the force.
  • Post commissioning, the Indian Shipyard MDL will carry out a port check whether the warship's seaworthy moving parts, engines and power pipe fittings are in good working order.
  • This phase will take some time to complete and sea trials will then commence.
  • A Navy official told that this warship will be known as Yard-12654 before its official deployment in the Navy.
  • Basically it is the last of the seven stealth frigates being built under Project 17 Alpha of the Navy.
  • Earlier this month, on August 17, Vindhyagiri, the sixth warship of this class, was commissioned by President Draupadi Murmu at a function organized by Garden Reach Shipbuilders Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata.
  • Four of the seven warships are being built by MDL and three by GRSE.
  • The Navy considers this project as a model for its Shivalik class warships.
  • Mahendragiri can be deployed (commissioned) in the Navy's war fleet by the year 2026-27.

About Project 17A:

  • Project 17 Alpha Frigates (P-17A) was launched by the Indian Navy in 2019 to build a series of stealth guided-missile frigates.
  • The Project 17A warships are currently being built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders (MDL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE).
  • The first stealth warship launched under Project 17A was Nilgiri, which was launched in 2019.
  • The second ship, Udayagiri, to be launched in May 2022, is likely to be commissioned in 2024.
  • Project 17A demonstrates India's commitment to self-reliance and technological advancement by showcasing indigenous innovation in cutting edge technology.

Features of Project 17 Alpha:

  • The special thing about the warships being built under Project 17 Alpha is that their total displacement capacity or weight is 6 thousand 670 tonnes.
  • Apart from this, the length will be 149 meters, width 17.8 meters, normal speed in the sea will be 28 knots and maximum 5 thousand 500 knots.
  • The crew of warships will include a crew of more than two hundred sailors.
  • Project 17 Alpha will cost a total of Rs 25 thousand 700 crore.
  • The design of these warships has been prepared by the Design Bureau of the Navy.
  • Along with this, to promote indigenization and self-reliance, about 75 percent indigenous construction material is being used.
  • Which will promote the goal of self-reliance in the defense sector of the Central Government.

BrahMos missile will be deployed

  • State-of-the-art destroyer weapons will be installed in the Mahendragiri warship.
  • In this, BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, surface-to-air Barak-eight missile, MF Star radar, two torpedo tubes, enemy aircraft destruction system are the main ones.

Names of all Nilgiri class warships:

  1. Nilgiri: This is the first warship launched under Project 17 Alpha on September 28, 2019.
  2. Udayagiri: This is the second warship launched on 17 May 2022.
  3. Taragiri: This is the third warship built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders (MDL) and was launched on September 11, 2022.
  4. Dunagiri: This is the fourth warship built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) and was launched in July 2022.
  5. Himgiri: Launched on 14 December 2020, this is the fifth warship of this class.
  6. Vindhyagiri: Launched on August 17, 2023, it is the sixth warship of this class.
  7. Mahendragiri: The Mahendragiri warship is the last warship of this class to be launched on September 1, 2023 under Project 17 Alpha.

Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL):

  • Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilders Limited is India's leading shipyard.
  • Its main function is to build submarines and warships on the basis of facilities available at Mumbai and Nhava yards.
  • Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Mumbai, an ISO 9000:2008 company, is a leading shipbuilding and offshore structure yard in India.
  • This yard was established in the 18th century.
  • After its acquisition by the Government of India in 1960, Mazagon Dock has rapidly become the main warship building yard in India producing warships, sophisticated warships for the Indian Navy, and offshore structures for ONGC.

Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE):

  • Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE) is a public sector undertaking under the control of the Ministry of Defence, Government of India.
  • It is located in Kolkata. It builds and repairs everything from Indian Navy ships to merchant vessels.
  • It came into existence in 1884 as a small factory on the banks of the Hooghly River.
  • In 1916, it was named Garden Reach Workshop (GRW) and was incorporated as a company on 26 February 1934 under the Indian Companies Act of 1913.
  • The Government of India took this company under its control on 1 April 1960.
  • With effect from 31 December 1977, its name was changed to Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited.

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Main Exam Questions

What is Project 17 Alpha? Briefly discuss all the warships built under this category.