A major milestone in achieving self-reliance in warship design and construction, Himgiri (Yard 3022), the third ship of Nilgiri Class (Project 17A) and the first of the class built at Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), was delivered to the Indian Navy on 31 Jul 2025 at GRSE, Kolkata. Project 17A frigates are versatile multi-mission platforms, designed to address current and future challenges in the maritime domain.
Himgiri is a reincarnation of the erstwhile INS Himgiri, a Leander-class frigate, that was decommissioned on 06 May 2005 after 30 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 the Warship Design Bureau (WDB) and overseen by the 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 is modular and ergonomic and has been built within the built timelines envisaged.
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 gas turbine, that drives a Controllable Pitch Propeller (CPP) on each shaft, and a state-of-the-art Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS). The weapon suite comprises supersonic Surface-to-Surface missile system, Medium-Range Surface to Air Missile system, 76 mm Gun, and a combination of 30 mm and 12.7 mm rapid-fire Close-in Weapon Systems.
Delivery of Himgiri showcases the design, ship construction and engineering prowess of the nation, and reflects Indian Navy’s unrelenting focus on Aatmanirbharta in both ship design and shipbuilding. With an indigenous content of 75%, the project has involved over 200 MSMEs at GRSE and has enabled generation of employment for approx. 4,000 personnel directly and more than 10,000 personnel indirectly.
