Mumbai: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday launched two indigenously built warships, a destroyer and frigate, at the Mazagon Docks in south Mumbai, in a “true testament of Atmanirbhar Bharat”.
The frontline warships — ‘Surat’ (Project 15B destroyer) and ‘Udaygiri’ (Project 17A frigate) — are “next generation stealth guided missile destroyers”, said an official statement of Ministry of Defence.
“Both P15B and P17A ships have been designed in-house by the Directorate of Naval Design (DND), which has been the fountainhead for all warship design activities of the nation,” it said.
Approximately 75 per cent of the orders for equipment and systems for the warships were given to indigenous firms, including micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), a “true testament of Atmanirbhar Bharat”, the Ministry added.
‘Surat’ is part of P15B and among the largest destroyer ships manufactured by India.
Named after the second-largest commercial hub of western India, the ship has been built using block construction, which involves the hull construction in two different geographical locations, which was then assembled at Mazagon Docks Limited.
This is the first time that the two indigenously built warships have been launched concurrently, MDL said.
MDL is a premier ship and submarine building defence public sector undertaking.
