In all future shipbuilding contracts of the Navy, 88% of them on cost basis, amounting to investments of nearly ₹1,75,000 crore, are being progressed through Indian enterprises, Navy Chief Admiral R. Hari Kumar said on Friday at the launch of the fourth Project-17A stealth frigate ‘Dunagiri’ at the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE) in Kolkata.
This means that, for every ₹10 crore spent on capital procurement, ₹9 crore is invested back into our economy, Admiral Kumar said. In addition, 29 Indian original equipment manufacturers along with Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) across the country are contributing to this project, he added.
Kala Hari Kumar, wife of Admiral Kumar and president, Navy Wives Welfare Association, performed the traditional honours and named the ship ‘Dunagiri’ after which it was launched into the Hooghly river.
It is christened after a mountain range in Uttarakhand ‘Dunagiri’, and is the reincarnation of the erstwhile ‘Dunagiri’, the Leander Class Anti-Submarine Warfare frigate, which was in service from May 5, 1977 to October 20, 2010.
Speaking at the launch, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said ‘Dunagiri’ would be a world-class stealth frigate with multidimensional capabilities to destroy enemies from sea, sky, and underwater.
Improved stealth features
The P-17A class is a follow-on of the P-17 Shivalik Class with improved stealth features, advanced weapons and sensors and platform management systems and have been designed in-house by the Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design (DND.
Seven ships are under construction under P-17A, four at the Mazgaon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) and three at the GRSE. While the first two P-17A ships were launched in 2019 and 2020 at the MDL and the GRSE respectively, the third ship, Udaygiri, was launched at the MDL in May this year.
Last month, the keel for the seventh P-17A frigate was laid at the MDL. Keel laying is a major milestone symbolising formal commencement of the erection process of warships on the building berth.
