The Indian Navy is all set to commission its sixth Project 17A indigenous stealth frigate, Mahendragiri (F38) into its Eastern Fleet at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh today.
The ceremony will be presided over by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. It will mark another significant milestone in India’s journey towards defence self-reliance and indigenous warship construction.
Addressing the naval personnel in Visakhapatnam during Barakhana on the eve of the commissioning ceremony, the defence minister reaffirmed India’s stand as the primary guarantor of peace and stability in the Indian Ocean region. We have
Akashvani Correspondent reports that the Mahendragiri, designed by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau and built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited in Mumbai, is a state-of-the-art stealth frigate equipped with advanced weapons, sensors and electronic warfare systems.
The warship is capable of undertaking anti-air, anti-surface and anti-submarine operations. It can also conduct maritime security patrols, search-and-rescue missions, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations, and sustained deployments in the Indian Ocean Region.
With over 75 per cent indigenous content, the frigate reflects the government’s push for self-reliance in defence manufacturing under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
Its construction involved several Indian industries, including MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises), strengthening the domestic defence industrial base and generating employment. Named after the Mahendragiri mountain range in the Eastern Ghats, the warship symbolises strength and resilience.
The government says its induction will further enhance the Indian Navy’s operational capability and reinforce India’s position as a leading indigenous warship-building nation and a preferred security partner in the Indian Ocean region.
