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INS Mahendragiri (F38)

Kumari Sonali

INS Mahendragiri (F38):

The Indian Navy is set to formally commission INS Mahendragiri (F38), its sixth Project 17A indigenous guided-missile stealth frigate, at Visakhapatnam.

  • INS Mahendragiri is a state-of-the-art, multi-role stealth frigate belonging to the Nilgiri-class (Project 17A).
  • It is designed to operate as a highly automated, heavy combat platform capable of simultaneously engaging threats across air, surface, and sub-surface warfare dimensions.
  • Designed completely in-house by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau (WDB).
  • Constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) in Mumbai using advanced modular build techniques.
  • The objective of INS Mahendragiri is to protect India’s sprawling maritime boundaries and sea lines of communication across the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

Key Technical Features:

  • Advanced Stealth Engineering: Built with an optimized hull geometry that reduces its Radar Cross Section (RCS).
  • It uses infra-red suppression and flush structural designs to mask its acoustic and thermal signatures, allowing it to slip past enemy surveillance grids undetected.
  • Built using over 75% indigenous content under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, sourcing steel, components, and electronics from a vast network of domestic heavy industries and MSMEs.
  • Powered by a modern Combined Diesel or Gas (CODOG) propulsion plant. It uses highly efficient diesel engines for long-range, low-speed cruising endurance, and switches to high-power gas turbines for rapid, high-speed tactical intercepts.
  • Outfitted with an array of state-of-the-art offensive and defensive weapons systems:
    • BrahMos supersonic anti-ship and land-attack cruise missiles.
    • Barak-8 Long-Range Surface-to-Air Missiles (L-SAM) for multi-tiered fleet air defense.
  • Indigenous heavy-weight torpedo launchers and anti-submarine rocket arrays.
  • An advanced main deck gun for surface intercepts.
  • Managed by an indigenous Combat Management System (CMS) that fuses data from a powerful multi-function active phased array radar system, electronic warfare (EW) suites, and advanced hull-mounted and towed sonar networks.
  • Project 17A Frigates: INS Nilgiri (F34), INS Himgiri (F35), INS Udaygiri (F36), INS Dunagiri (F37), INS Mahendragiri (F38), INS Taragiri (F41), and INS Vindhyagiri (F42).