Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, today, launched two made-in-India warships, ‘Surat’ and ‘Udaygiri’, at the Mazagon Docks in Mumbai. According to Mazgaon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL), this is the first time two indigenously built warships have been launched together.
Both the warships Surat and Udaygiri have been designed in-house by the Directorate of Naval Design (DND) and built at MDL, Mumbai. Missile ‘Surat’ is the fourth guided-missile destroyer of the P15B class, while Udaygiri is the second stealth frigate of P17A class.
While addressing the gathering, Singh congratulated the team of MDL for continued ship production activities despite the pandemic and for meeting the strategic requirements of the Indian Navy in the current geo-political scenario. He said “INS Udaygiri and INS Surat are the shining examples of India’s growing indigenous capability. The warships will be among the most technologically advanced missile carriers in the world, that will cater to the present as well as future requirements.”
The defence minister further stated that warships symbolize the government’s unwavering commitment to improving the country’s maritime capabilities, with the aim of achieving ‘Aatmanirbharta’, at a time when world supply chains are disrupted by Covid-19 and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. “The Indo-Pacific region is important for the economy of the whole world. India is a responsible maritime stakeholder in the region,” he added.
While explaining the reason behind naming one of the warships as Udaygiri the Navy stated that it is named after a mountain range in Andhra Pradesh, which is the third ship of Project 17A Frigates. It is a follow on of the P17 Frigates (Shivalik Class) with improved stealth features, advanced weapons and sensors and platform management systems, the navy said.
The new warship is the reincarnation of the erstwhile ‘Udaygiri’, the Leander class ASW frigate, which saw numerous challenging operations in its illustrious service to the country, spanning over three decades from February 1976 to August 2007, the official statement added.
