India on Friday commissioned INS Mahendragiri, an indigenously built, state-of-the-art warship, formally inducting it into the Indian Navy at a ceremony held at the naval base in Visakhapatnam.
The warship was designed by the Navy’s Warship Design Bureau and constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) in Mumbai. Built under the Centre’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiatives, the ship uses about 75% indigenous content.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who dedicated the vessel to the nation and inducted it into the Eastern Naval Command, said the ship would help safeguard India’s maritime interests not only near the coastline but also in distant and deep seas. He added that the commissioning reflects India’s growing defence manufacturing capability and strengthens the Navy’s combat readiness.
INS Mahendragiri is the seventh and final warship under Project 17A. Named after the famed Mahendragiri peak in the Eastern Ghats of Odisha, the ship measures 489 feet in length and 58 feet in width.
Capable of speeds up to 28 knots, the stealth-designed vessel is equipped to counter aerial threats, surface challenges and submarines. It features BrahMos strike capability up to 500 km, long-range air defence missiles, a forward gun, rocket launchers, helicopter operations and modern communication sensors, and can also be deployed for maritime security, search-and-rescue and humanitarian assistance during disasters. The ship can undertake patrols up to 10,200 km without refuelling and can accommodate 226 personnel.
