NEW DELHI: India’s newest homegrown stealth frigate, INS Taragiri, will join the Indian Navy’s fleet along the eastern seaboard in Visakhapatnam in the first week of April, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh presiding over the commissioning, it is learnt. The induction was initially expected in March but was delayed.
INS Taragiri is the fourth ship in the Nilgiri-class under Project 17A. The lead vessel, INS Nilgiri, was commissioned in January last year in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while INS Udaygiri and INS Himgiri entered service in August. Together, these frigates form the backbone of the Eastern Fleet’s surface combatants. Sources said the fifth frigate in the class, INS Mahendragiri, is scheduled to join later this year.
The P-17A frigates are among India’s most advanced warships, built using integrated modular construction. They displace over 6,700 tonnes, carry at least 75 percent indigenous content and are slightly larger than the Shivalik-class.
Sleeker hulls, enclosed mooring decks, low infrared signatures and carefully designed deck rails allow crew to move safely while keeping the ships’ radar and heat signatures low, making them harder to detect in combat.
INS Taragiri and her sister ships carry a wide range of weapons, including the BrahMos supersonic missile, the Barak-8 long-range surface-to-air missile system, 76 mm naval guns built under license, and torpedoes for anti-submarine operations.
Each frigate can accommodate around 225 personnel and operate shipborne helicopters for surveillance and anti-submarine missions.
Moreover, the frigates are fitted with the hull mounted sonar advanced - next generation (HUMSA-NG), developed by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), which helps detect submarines and other underwater threats. For electronic warfare, the ships carry the Ajanta and Shakti systems, also developed in India, which can pick up hostile signals and jam them to reduce the chances of being tracked or targeted.
Sources added that three more Arnala-class anti-submarine corvettes, a large survey vessel, and the deep-submergence rescue ship INS Nipun are also expected to join the Navy this year. With these inductions, a total of 15 new ships under ongoing programmes will boost India’s maritime capabilities in 2026.