Project 17A ‘Taragiri’

In News 

• ‘Taragiri’, the third stealth frigate of project 17A was launched by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd. (MDL) in Mumbai.
  • The stealth vessel is expected to be commissioned into the Indian Navy in February 2023.

About ‘Taragiri’

• The keel of Taragiri was laid on September 10, 2020 and the ship is expected to be delivered by August 2025.
• It is designed by the Indian Navy’s in-house design organisation – Bureau of Naval Design.
• The indigenously designed ‘Taragiri’ will have state-of-the-art weapons, sensors, an advanced action information system, an integrated platform management system, world-class modular living spaces, a sophisticated power distribution system, and a host of other advanced features. 
• It will be fitted with a supersonic surface-to-surface missile system and the ship’s air defence capability is designed to counter the threat of enemy aircraft and anti-ship cruise missiles will revolve around the vertical launch and long range surface to air missile system,

What is Project 17A of the Indian Navy?

• Project 17 Alpha frigates (P-17A) were launched by the Indian Navy in 2019. 
• The project is aimed to construct a series of stealth guided-missile frigates, which are currently being constructed by two companies – Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders (MDL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE).
• These guided-missile frigates have been constructed with a specific stealth design, which has radar-absorbent coatings and is low-observable which can make its approach undetectable for the enemies.
• The first stealth ship launched under Project 17A was the Nilgiri, which was launched in 2019 and is expected to be commissioned in the Indian Navy by the end of this year. 
  • Udaygiri, the second ship, was launched in May 2022, and will likely be commissioned in 2024.

Source:TH