Nilgiri-class frigate (2019)


The Nilgiri-class frigate or Project 17A is a follow-on of the Project 17 for the Indian Navy. A total of seven ships will be built at Mazagon Dock and GRSE. The ships have been named after the first major warships to be built in India, which in turn were named after hill ranges in India. The construction of the first ship started in 2017 and the first ship is expected to delivered by 2022. The anticipated cost for each vessel is above and the total deal is expected to be worth more than. The vessel will incorporate the latest stealth features.

Design

The experience gained in designing the Shivalik-class frigates will be applied to the Project 17A. This class will improve upon the earlier class in terms of stealth. They will have covered mooring deck and the number of antennae on the ship will be reduced by using EL/M-2248 MF-STAR AESA radar. The P17A will also feature better roll stabilisation and a discreet visual profile. The weapon platform in the P17A ships will be compact and they will be armed with the Barak 8 and BrahMos. The weapon systems will be flush deck mounted allowing vertical launch of missiles from under the deck. The crew complement will be reduced from the existing 257 to about 150 by using high levels of automation, which will reduce the operational costs by around 20 per cent and result in higher operational availability of the warships. The construction times will be reduced and productivity will improved by using modular integrated construction. The ship will have a displacement of 6,670 tonnes. Fincantieri has signed a contract with Mazagon Dock Limited to provide technical advice within the Project 17A.

Construction

Four of the frigates will be constructed by Mazagon Dock Ltd in Mumbai and three by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers in Kolkata. India’s Cabinet Committee on Security approved the proposal of Ministry of Defence for starting the Project 17A design-cum-construction programme in September 2012. The contract was signed with the two shipyards in February 2015. Steel cutting ceremony was held on 17 February 2017 which marked the commencement of construction. The first ship is expected to be commissioned by August 2022.. On 11 March 2016, the Indian Ministry of Defence approved a weapons and sensors package for the project. The frigates will be equipped with Barak 8, BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, Ajanta electronic warfare system and Humsa-NG sonar In September 2018, MDL and GRSE awarded Bharat Electronics Limited with a $1.28 billion contract to supply seven Barak-8 air defence systems. In October 2018, Bharat Electronics Limited signed a $777 million deal with Israel Aircraft Industries to help fulfil the Barak-8 order.

Ships