Delivery of Project 17 Alpha Will Complete till 2025

The Nilgiri-class frigates, officially designated as the Project-17 Alpha frigates (P-17A), are presently under construction by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders (MDL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) for the Indian Navy.

Designed as versatile frigates with stealth capabilities, advanced weaponry, sensors, and a high level of automation, the Project 17A frigates are intended for a diverse range of missions, encompassing anti-submarine warfare, anti-air warfare, and electronic warfare.

Design Features

Drawing inspiration from the Shivalik-class frigates, the Project 17A frigates incorporate several enhancements, including:

• Redesigned hull and superstructure with a diminished radar cross-section (RCS)
• An integrated mast
• A new combat management system
• A modern air search radar
• An advanced electronic warfare system

Specifications

The key specifications of the Project 17A frigates are as follows:

• Displacement: 6,670 tonnes (7,352 tons)
• Length: 149.6 meters (491 ft)
• Beam: 17.8 meters (58 ft)
• Draft: 5.22 meters (17 ft 1 in)
• Propulsion: CODAG, 2 x MAN Diesel 12V28/33D STC (6,000 kW each) + 2 x General Electric LM2500+
• Speed: 32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph)
• Range: 5,500 nautical miles (10,200 km; 6,300 mi) at 16–18 knots (30–33 km/h; 19–21 mph)
• Complement: 226

Armament

The armament of the Project 17A frigates includes:

• 1 x 127 mm (50 in) OTO Melara Super Rapido naval gun
• 2 x 4-barrel AK-630M close-in weapon systems
• 1 x 24-cell vertical launch system for Barak 8 missiles
• 4 x single-arm launchers for BrahMos missiles
• 2 x triple-barrel torpedo launchers for torpedoes

Sensors and Countermeasures

The frigates are equipped with advanced sensors and countermeasure systems, such as:

• IAI EL/M-2248 MF-STAR S-Band AESA radar
• Indra LTR-25 "Lanza" L-Band surveillance radar
• NECI WHR-NS radar
• BEL ESM/ECM suite
• BEL Sonar
• 4 x S-APAR chaff launchers
• 4 x S-APAR decoy launchers
• 4 x EL/M-8222 jammer systems

Status

As of now, all seven Project 17A frigates have been launched, and the first ship, INS Nilgiri, was commissioned in July 2019. The seven ships of the Project 17A class are being built by two shipyards: Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE). The following table shows the delivery status of each ship: