Vindhyagiri frigate

About Vindhyagiri frigate:

 

• It is named after a mountain range in Karnataka.
• It is the sixth ship of the Project 17A frigates.
• These warships are follow-ons of the Project 17 Class Frigates (Shivalik Class), with improved stealth features, advanced weapons and sensors and platform management systems.
• Under the Project 17A programme, four ships by Mumbai-based Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) and three by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE) are under construction.
• The project’s first five ships were launched by MDL and GRSE, between 2019-2022.
• These ships have been designed in-house by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau.
• As much as 75% of the orders for equipment and systems of Project 17A ships are from indigenous firms, including MSMEs.

 

Key facts about old INS Vindhyagiri

• It was the sixth and last of the Nilgiri class frigates—in its nearly 31 years of service from 8 July 1981 to 11 June 2012, had seen many multinational exercises and performed maritime surveillance, coastal patrol and anti-piracy operations.
• It was decommissioned after being damaged in an accident with a merchant vessel in 2011.

 

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Q1) What are Frigates?

These are a type of warship that falls within the category of naval vessels. They are generally larger and more heavily armed than corvettes and patrol boats but smaller and less powerful than destroyers and cruisers. Frigates are versatile ships designed for a variety of roles, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-aircraft defense, surface warfare, and maritime patrol.

Source: President to launch advanced frigate Vindhyagiri in Kolkata on August 17