Three warships – INS Surat, INS Nilgiri, and INS Vagsheer inducted into Indian Navy at Naval Dockyard, Mumbai.
Three indigenous warships and submarine inducted into Indian Navy
- Date and place: 15 January 2025, ceremony at Naval Dockyard, Mumbai.
Ships inducted
- Warships: INS Surat and INS Nilgiri.
- Submarine: INS Vagsheer.
Construction and design
- Built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL).
- Designed by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau.
Advanced features
- Sensors and weapon systems manufactured in India or developed in collaboration with global partners.
- Ability to operate a variety of helicopters: Chetak, Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), Sea King and MH-60R.
INS Nilgiri
- Class and Project: Main stealth frigate of Project 17A; advanced version of Shivalik class (Project 17).
- Builder: Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE).
- Capabilities: Capable of dealing with conventional and non-conventional threats.
Key Features
- Supersonic surface-to-surface missile system.
- Medium-range surface-to-air missile (MRSAM).
- 76 mm advanced cannon and quick fire close-in weapon system.
- Significance: Highly effective in anti-surface, anti-air and anti-submarine warfare.
INS Surat
- Class and Project: The last guided missile destroyer under Project 15B; after INS Visakhapatnam, INS Murmugao, and INS Imphal.
Key Features
- Displacement: 7,400 tonnes; Length: 164 metres.
- Weapons: Surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship missiles, torpedoes.
- Propulsion: Combined Gas and Gas (COGAG) system; Speed: Over 30 knots.
- Advanced sensors, communications and AI-enabled systems.
- Builder: Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL).
- Importance: Useful in naval operations for high speed, high firepower and long range.
INS Vagsheer
- Class and Project: The sixth and last Scorpene-class submarine under Project 75.
- Design: Based on France’s Scorpene class; developed by French Naval Group and Spain’s Navantia.
Key Features
- Diesel-electric transmission; World’s quietest and most versatile submarine.
- Wire-guided torpedoes, anti-ship missiles, and advanced sonar systems.
- Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) technology for future upgrades.
- Capabilities: Anti-surface/anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, surveillance, and underwater mining.
- Significance: “Hunter-killer” submarine that performs diverse naval missions with stealth and precision.