Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will launch two frontline warships of the Indian Navy on May 17 at Mazgaon Docks Limited in Mumbai, marking a significant milestone in their construction, officials said on Friday.
The ship ‘Surat’ is the fourth and final stealth destroyer in the ‘Project 15B’ programme, while the second ship, ‘Udaygiri,’ is a frigate in the ‘Project 17A’ programme.
The term “launch” refers to the first time a ship enters water.
“The nation will witness a landmark event in the history of indigenous warship building when two frontline warships of Indian Navy will be launched concurrently at Mazgaon Docks Limited in Mumbai on May 17,” said an Indian Navy official.
The Project 15B class of ships is the next generation stealth guided missile destroyers of the Indian Navy being built at the Mazgaon Docks Ltd in Mumbai.
‘Surat’ is the fourth ship of Project 15B destroyers which is named after the commercial capital of the state of Gujarat. Surat city has a rich maritime and ship building history and vessels built in the city in the 16th and 18th centuries were known for their longevity (of more than 100 years).
The ship Surat has been built using the block construction methodology which involved hull construction at two different geographical locations and has been joined together at MDL, the official said.
The ship ‘Udaygiri’ is named after a mountain range in the state of Andhra Pradesh and is the third ship of Project 17A frigates.
These are follow on of the P17 Frigates (Shivalik Class) with improved stealth features, advanced weapons and sensors and platform management systems.
Both 15B and P17A ships have been designed in-house by the Directorate of Naval Design.