Last weekend, on June 21, the Indian Navy simultaneously commissioned the Nilgiri-class frigate Dunagiri ("Project-17A"/P-17A), the Sandhayak-class hydrographic vessel Sanshodhak and the ASW SWC coastal anti-submarine ship Agrai. According to Naval News, all of them were designed by the Indian Navy Design Bureau and built in Calcutta at the Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) shipyard. The commissioning ceremony was led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Dunagiri is the second Nilgiri–class frigate built by GRSE and the fifth commissioned ship in the series. It was laid down in January 2020 and launched in July 2022. The transfer to the Indian Navy took place at the end of March 2026.
Frigate Dunagiri, India
Indian MoD
The line of frigates of the P17A project became a further development of the Shivalik class. The new ships are being built with extensive use of stealth technologies, including radio-absorbing coatings, composite materials, and faceted superstructures.
The project is being implemented by two companies – Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders and Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers. Under the terms of the deal with the Indian Ministry of Defense, Mazagon will build four frigates for the fleet, and GRSE – three.
The Nilgiri–class frigates have a displacement of 6,670 tons, a hull length of 149 meters, a width of 17.8 meters, and a draft of 5.22 meters. The speed is 28 knots, the cruising range is 5,500 nautical miles. The crew consists of 226 people.
The ships' arsenal includes a 76-mm cannon, two 30-mm AK-630M anti-aircraft artillery systems, two torpedo tubes, two RBU-6000 anti-submarine bombing systems, launchers for eight Brahmos supersonic cruise missiles and for 32 Israeli-designed Barak-8 anti-aircraft missiles.
Hydrographic vessel "Sanshodhak", India
Indian MoD
The Sanshodhak is the fourth and last Sandhyak–class hydrographic vessel built for the Indian Navy. It was laid down in June 2022, launched in June 2023 and handed over to the customer on March 30, 2026.
Sandhayak-class vessels are equipped with hydrographic and oceanographic equipment for mapping and data collection, and also carry deck-based helicopters, which allows them to perform various tasks at sea. In addition, a high-resolution multipath echo sounder, autonomous uninhabited underwater vehicles and four hydrographic boats are on board.
These vessels can function as research vessels, but they are also capable of supporting humanitarian relief and disaster relief operations. If necessary, it can be converted into a hospital ship.
With a length of 110 meters and a displacement of 3,400 tons, the Sandhayak-class hydrographs have become the largest vessels of their kind in the Indian Navy.
Anti-submarine ship of the coastal zone "Agrai", India
Indian MoD
The Agrai is the second ASW SWC type coastal anti–submarine ship built for the Indian Navy at the GRSE shipyard, and the fifth commissioned (corvettes of this type are also being built by Larsen & Toubro Limited and Cochin Shipyard Ltd). It was laid down in December 2022 and launched in March 2024.
ASW SWC ships have a displacement of 900 tons, a length of 77.6 meters, a width of 10.5 meters, and a draft of 2.7 meters. Equipped with three water-jet propellers, they can reach speeds of up to 25 knots. The cruising range is 1800 nautical miles. The crew consists of 57 people, including seven officers.
Ships of this type are equipped with hull-mounted sonar and low-frequency sonar of variable depth.
The armament includes the RBU-6000 rocket and bomb launcher, light 324-mm torpedoes, anti-submarine mines, as well as a 30-mm CRN-91 artillery complex and two 12.7-mm remotely controlled OFT M2 modules.
