INDIGENOUS STEALTH FRIGATE ‘DUNAGIRI’ DELIVERED TO INDIAN NAVY – A MAJOR BOOST TO AATMANIRBHARTA IN WARSHIP BUILDING

Dunagiri (Yard 3023), the fifth ship of Nilgiri Class (Project 17A) and second of the class built at Garden Reach Shipbuilding and Engineers Ltd (GRSE), was delivered to the Indian Navy on 30 Mar 2026 at GRSE, Kolkata, marking a major milestone in achieving self-reliance in warship design and construction. Project 17A frigates are versatile multi-mission platforms, designed to address current and future challenges in the maritime domain.

Dunagiri is a reincarnation of the erstwhile INS Dunagiri, a Leander-class frigate, that was part of the Indian Navy fleet from 05 May 1977 to 10 Oct 2010, rendering 33 years of glorious service to the nation. This state-of-the-art frigate reflects a quantum leap in naval design, stealth, firepower, automation and survivability and is an admirable symbol of Aatmanirbharta in warship building.

Designed by Warship Design Bureau (WDB) and overseen by Warship Overseeing Team (Kolkata), P17A frigates reflect a generational leap in indigenous ship design, stealth, survivability, and combat capability. Driven by the philosophy of Integrated Construction, the ship was built and delivered in envisaged timeline.

P17A ships are fitted with an advanced weapon and sensor suite compared to the P17 (Shivalik) class. These ships are configured with Combined Diesel or Gas (CODOG) propulsion plants, comprising a diesel engine and a gas turbine that drive a Controllable Pitch Propeller (CPP) on each shaft, and state-of-the-art Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS). The potent weapons and sensors suite comprises of BrahMos SSM, MFSTAR and MRSAM complex, 76mm SRGM, and a combination of 30 mm and 12.7 mm close-in weapon system, along with rocket and torpedoes for anti- submarine warfare.

Dunagiri is the fifth P17A ship getting delivered to the Indian Navy in the last 16 months. The experiences gained from construction of the first four P17A ships have enabled compressing of build period of Dunagiri to 80 months, in comparison to 93 months taken for first of class (Nilgiri).

Delivery of Dunagiri showcases the design, ship construction and engineering prowess of nation, and reflects the Navy's unrelenting focus on Aatmanirbharta in both ship design and shipbuilding.

With an indigenisation content of 75%, the project has involved over 200 MSMEs and has enabled employment generation of approximately 4,000 personnel directly and more than 10,000 personnel indirectly.

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