Indian Navy commissions indigenous stealth frigate INS Mahendragiri, boosting maritime combat capability

By Aroonim Bhuyan

New Delhi/Visakhapatnam. The Indian Navy on July 11 commissioned the indigenously built stealth frigate INS Mahendragiri into its Eastern Fleet, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh describing the frontline warship as a testament to India’s growing self-reliance in defence manufacturing and a major step towards strengthening the country’s maritime security architecture.

The commissioning ceremony was held at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and was attended by Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, senior naval officers, representatives of the shipbuilding industry, veterans and other dignitaries.

INS Mahendragiri is the sixth Project 17A stealth frigate to be inducted into the Indian Navy within a span of just 18 months, underscoring the country’s rapidly expanding indigenous shipbuilding capabilities. The series began with the commissioning of INS Nilgiri in January 2025, followed by INS Udaygiri and INS Himgiri in August 2025, INS Taragiri in April this year and INS Dunagiri last month.

Designed by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau and built by Mumbai-based Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), the 6,670-tonne warship has more than 75 percent indigenous content. It is capable of undertaking the full spectrum of maritime operations, including fleet air defence, anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare, maritime interdiction, surveillance, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) missions.

The stealth frigate is powered by a Combined Diesel or Gas (CODOG) propulsion system and can attain speeds of up to 28 knots. It is equipped with advanced stealth features, modern sensors, network-centric combat systems and sophisticated weapon suites. According to the Defence Minister, the ship can be armed with the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile and is equipped with medium-range surface-to-air missile systems, multifunction radar, indigenous rocket launchers, torpedo launchers, an Integrated Anti-Submarine Defence System, an electronic warfare suite and a close-in weapon system.

Addressing the gathering, Rajnath Singh said INS Mahendragiri reflected India’s growing expertise in warship design, manufacturing excellence and the rapid development of the country’s naval-industrial ecosystem. He said the vessel demonstrated India’s ability to produce complex, state-of-the-art naval platforms within significantly reduced timelines.

Expressing confidence in the capabilities of the new warship, the Defence Minister said it would safeguard India’s maritime interests not only along its coastline but also across the deep oceans, further strengthening the Navy’s blue-water capabilities.

Highlighting the changing character of warfare, Singh said emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, drones, cyber warfare, hypersonic weapons, unmanned systems and space-based capabilities were transforming military operations. However, he stressed that conventional military strength would continue to remain the foundation of national defence.

“Future wars may be fought with artificial intelligence, but they will still be won by national resolve, trained soldiers and credible military power,” he said, adding that advanced technologies and conventional platforms complement each other rather than compete.

The Defence Minister said the Narendra Modi government remained committed to simultaneously investing in next-generation military technologies while modernising conventional capabilities. Referring to Operation Sindoor, he said the operation demonstrated the effective integration of traditional military strength with modern technologies in safeguarding national security.

Describing maritime security as integral to India’s economic prosperity, Singh said secure seas were essential for trade, supply chains, energy security and sustained economic growth. He reiterated the government’s commitment to its vision of Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR), asserting that India had emerged as a net security provider and a trusted partner in the Indo-Pacific.

He praised the Indian Navy for its role in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations, anti-piracy missions and evacuation efforts from conflict zones, saying these had earned it recognition as both a first responder and a preferred security partner in the region.

Referring to the Navy’s recent operations during the West Asia conflict, Singh said that under Operation Urja Suraksha it had safely escorted 18 merchant ships carrying essential cargo worth over ₹9,000 crore, highlighting the Navy’s role in protecting India’s economic interests alongside its military responsibilities.

He said the induction of INS Mahendragiri would reinforce India’s maritime strategy by strengthening the eastern seaboard, extending the Navy’s operational reach across the Indian Ocean Region and enhancing the country’s blue-water capabilities.

The Defence Minister also underlined the wider economic significance of indigenous warship construction, saying it strengthened technological capabilities, skilled manpower and the broader maritime industrial ecosystem while generating employment and fostering innovation across sectors such as steel, electronics, propulsion systems, sensors, software and precision engineering.

He said the government was pursuing the vision of making India a global hub for shipbuilding and maritime defence innovation through initiatives such as Maritime India Vision 2030, the Maritime Development Fund, the Shipbuilding Financial Assistance Scheme and the Shipbuilding Development Scheme.

Calling upon young entrepreneurs, engineers, researchers, innovators and investors, Singh urged them to contribute to developing indigenous defence technologies that would shape the future of warfare and strengthen India’s self-reliance.

Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Krishna Swaminathan described INS Mahendragiri as a symbol of India’s growing maritime capability and technological self-reliance. He said the commissioning of the sixth Project 17A frigate marked another milestone in indigenous warship construction and significantly enhanced the Indian Navy’s operational capabilities.

Highlighting improvements in shipbuilding efficiency, Admiral Swaminathan said the Navy and MDL had reduced the time taken from launch to delivery by nearly 50 per cent – from 63 months to 31 months – while overall construction time had come down by around 20 percent, from 95 months to 75 months. He added that all technical evaluations had been completed during a single sea trial instead of the conventional five to seven trials, reflecting close collaboration between the Navy, MDL, Indian manufacturers, MSMEs and various trial agencies.

Named after the Mahendragiri mountain range in the Eastern Ghats, the warship carries the motto ‘Mighty, Majestic, Matchless’ and has been built with contributions from more than 200 Indian companies, including numerous micro, small and medium enterprises. Equipped with advanced indigenous combat systems and stealth technologies, INS Mahendragiri joins the Eastern Fleet – the Navy’s Sunrise Fleet – and is expected to significantly enhance India’s maritime combat capability and operational reach across the Indian Ocean Region, in line with the government’s vision of a future-ready Navy under MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions).