Visakhapatnam: India’s naval strength received a major boost on Tuesday with the commissioning of two advanced multi-mission stealth frigates, INS Udaygiri and INS Himgiri, into the Indian Navy at the Naval Base in Visakhapatnam. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh presided over the commissioning ceremony.
This marks the first time two frontline combatants built by different Indian shipyards have been commissioned simultaneously. INS Udaygiri was built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Mumbai, while INS Himgiri was delivered by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE), Kolkata, as part of the Navy’s Project 17A.
“These warships will not only strengthen our maritime security but also stand as a testimony to India’s shipbuilding prowess and self-reliance. INS Udaygiri and INS Himgiri are shining examples of the Government’s firm resolve towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat,” Singh said. He added that self-reliance in defence was “no longer a slogan but a ground reality.”
Equipped with next-generation weapons, sensors, electronic warfare suites, supersonic surface-to-surface missiles, surface-to-air missiles, and advanced radars, the two frigates are capable of anti-air, anti-surface, and anti-submarine warfare, along with humanitarian and disaster relief operations. Singh noted, “These frigates send out a clear message that India is capable of safeguarding its maritime borders and responding immediately to any situation, from piracy to disaster relief.”
The ships are the 100th and 101st warships designed in-house by the Navy’s Warship Design Bureau. With more than 75 percent indigenous content, they incorporate major systems and sensors from Indian companies, including MSMEs and domestic defence manufacturers. Both frigates will join the Eastern Fleet under the Eastern Naval Command, extending India’s operational reach in the Bay of Bengal and beyond.
Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi called the commissioning a milestone for India’s maritime journey. “With the induction of these ships, the Navy has strengthened its combat potential and demonstrated its ability to deliver overwhelming force at sea in today’s era of uncertainties,” he said.
INS Udaygiri and INS Himgiri carry forward the legacy of earlier ships with the same names that served from the 1970s to the 2000s. The keel for INS Udaygiri was laid in May 2019 and for INS Himgiri in November 2018. Both underwent extensive sea trials before being delivered to the Navy in July 2025. The remaining four frigates under Project 17A are expected to join the fleet by mid-2026.
BI Bureau
