Significance of newly launched INS Vindhyagiri

INS Vindhyagiri is the sixth of seven ships built under 'Project 17 Alpha' for the Indian Navy. The first five ships of the project were launched between 2019 and 2022.

Kolkata (West Bengal): The newly launched Indian Naval Ship (INS) 'Vindhyagiri' has the following features. It was launched on Thursday by President Droupadi Murmu here in the presence of West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

INS Vindhyagiri is the sixth of seven ships built under 'Project 17 Alpha' for the Indian Navy. The first five ships of the project were launched between 2019 and 2022. INS Vindhyagiri is the third and last stealth frigate that Kolkata-based Garden Reach Shipbuilders Engineers (GRSE) Limited was contracted to build for the Indian Navy under the project.

An official of GRSE said that 75 percent of orders for equipment and systems of P17A ships are from indigenous firms, including micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

The state-of-the-art ship has been fitted with the latest gadgets and undergone extensive trials before being handed over to the Indian Navy for commissioning into service. P17A ships are guided missile frigates, each of which is 149-meter-long, with a displacement of approximately 6,670 tonnes and a speed of 28 knots, according to a GRSE official. These are capable of neutralizing threats in all three dimensions of air, surface, and sub-surface.

Meanwhile, Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar said that the Centre's support for maritime security has been very profound. "The importance of maritime security is known to national leadership. As trade grows, all the goods have to travel by sea and therefore, there is a need for more number of assets to ensure sea is kept secure and safe," Admiral R Hari Kumar was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.