INS Udaygiri and INS Himgiri: The Indian Navy is getting ready for a big day on August 26 in Visakhapatnam when it will bring two powerful stealth frigates into service together for the first time. These ships are INS Udaygiri and INS Himgiri. They are both fully made in India and fully designed by the Navy’s own Warship Design Bureau.
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This is extra special because INS Udaygiri is actually the 100th ship designed in-house. The whole project has been a huge boost for the country’s industry, helping around 200 micro, small and medium enterprises and giving work to about 4,000 people directly and more than 10,000 people indirectly. It is also the first time two large warships built at two different shipyards in India will be commissioned on the same day.
Part of Project 17A
Both of these frigates are part of Project 17A, which is the next step after the Shivalik class. These new ships are made to work in deep-sea waters and can deal with old style as well as modern threats out at sea. INS Udaygiri was built at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited in Mumbai and the Navy got it on July 1. On the other hand, INS Himgiri is the first ship of its kind to be built at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers in Kolkata.
These ships are slightly bigger than the earlier ones, weighing about 6,700 tonnes, which is roughly 5% more than before. But what really stands out is how they are designed to be harder to spot by enemy radar.
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Features
The frigates use a mix of gas turbines and diesel engines, known as CODOG, to power them. This setup gives them better speed, efficiency and makes them easier to handle at sea. On the weapons side, they are fitted with supersonic surface-to-surface missiles, medium-range surface-to-air missiles, close-in weapon systems with 30mm and 12.7mm guns, a 76mm main gun, and also weapons for fighting submarines.
Both ships went through long and tough sea trials to make sure everything works perfectly. Now they are ready to start active duty
