The Indian Navy on Tuesday (August 26) will simultaneously commission two Nilgiri-class stealth guided-missile frigates, the INS Udaygiri and INS Himgiri, at Visakhapatnam.Here’s a look at the capabilities of these “sleek and stealthy” ships, which are Electronic Warfare-capable, their key features and arsenal, and the road ahead for this futuristic class of frigates.Two ships from two shipyards, and other platforms this yearThe Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said that this is the first time that two major surface combatants from two different Indian shipyards will be commissioned simultaneously.INS Udaygiri is the second ship of the Project 17A stealth frigates built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) in Mumbai. INS Himgiri is the first of the Project 17A ships constructed by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata.In another major milestone for the Indian Navy, INS Udaygiri is the 100th ship designed by the Navy’s in-house Warship Design Bureau.Both ships are the result of an industrial ecosystem spanning over 200 Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), supporting approximately 4,000 direct jobs and more than 10,000 indirect jobs, the MoD has said.Story continues below this adAccording to a statement issued by the Ministry: “The commissioning of Udaygiri and Himgiri underscores the Navy’s commitment to self-reliance in ship design and construction. Rigorous sea trials have validated the frigates’ hull, machinery, firefighting, damage control, navigation and communication systems, ensuring they are ready for operational deployment.”The year 2025 has, until now, witnessed the commissioning of several indigenous platform,s including the destroyer INS Surat, the frigate INS Nilgiri, and the submarine INS Vaghsheer, all of which were constructed by MDL and commissioned together in Mumbai in January, and others including the Anti-submarine Warfare (ASW) Shallow Water Craft INS Arnala, and the Diving Support Vessel INS Nistar.Seven-vessel fleet: Nilgiri class of stealth guided-missile frigatesThe Nilgiri-class stealth frigates are being constructed under the codename Project 17 Alpha. They are follow-ons of the Shivalik class or Project 17 frigates that are currently active in service. The frigate commissioned in January, INS Nilgiri, was the first of seven frigates in Project 17A.Of the seven-member class of ships, four – Nilgiri, Udaygiri, Taragiri, and Mahendragiri – are being built by MDL, and three by GRSE (Himgiri, Dunagiri, and Vindhyagiri). Around 75 per cent of the orders for equipment and systems of the Nilgiri class have been given to indigenous firms, the MoD has said.Story continues below this adAlso Read | DRDO successfully tests home-grown air defence system: All about IADWS and its 3 componentsOn the operational front, the multi-mission frigates are capable of operating in a “blue water” environment, which denotes the deep sea far from India’s shores, and can tackle both conventional and non-conventional security challenges.The Nilgiri class of ships have been built using an “integrated construction” philosophy, which involves extensive pre-outfitting at the block stages to reduce the overall building periods.Sleek and stealthy fighting machines: Weapons, specs, and personnelWith their range of versatile weapons and capabilities, these ships can play a crucial role in anti-surface warfare, anti-air warfare, and anti-submarine warfare.Among the weapons and equipment fitted on this class of ships are Long Range Surface to Air Missiles (LRSAM), Eight Vertically launched Surface to Surface Brahmos supersonic cruise missiles, Barak 8 Anti aircraft missile, Light weight Anti-Submarine Torpedo, Indigenous Rocket Launcher (IRL), 127 mm Main Role Gun, two AK-630 rapid fire Guns, Multi Mission Surveillance Radar, Shakti Electronic Warfare Suite, Airborne Early Warning Radar, Surface Surveillance Radar and Sonar Humsa (NG).Story continues below this adThe hull of P17A ships is geo-symmetrically larger by 4.54 per cent as compared to P17 Shivalik-class ships, but still has a much smaller radar cross section, making it “sleek and stealthy”.The ships are configured with Combined Diesel or Gas (CODOG) main propulsion plants. They are each 149 metres long, with a displacement of approximately 6,670 tonnes, and have a speed of 28 knots and an endurance of 5500 NM at economical speed and 1000 NM at max speed.They have a complement or crew size of around 225.The rich legacy: new ships carry forward several glorious namesThe erstwhile Nilgiri-class frigates were updated versions of the Leander class and were designed and built for the Indian Navy by MDL. Six of those ships were built between 1972 and 1981. The new Nilgiri class carries forward the names of six ships, with Mahendragiri as the seventh ship.Story continues below this adUdaygiri has been named after the mountain range in Andhra Pradesh. The erstwhile INS Udaygiri was commissioned in February 1976. Over the next three decades, INS Udaygiri, a steam ship, played roles in several crucial operations, including Op Pawan in 1987 in Sri Lanka, Op Dolphin and Op Cactus in 1988, Op Madad in 1991 and Op Castor in 2005, according to the Indian Navy. In 2007, the erstwhile Udaygiri came to rest and was decommissioned.Also Read | ‘Sudarshan Chakra’ defence shield and indigenous jet engine push: What Modi’s I-Day speech has for defence establishmentWhile there is no particular mountain range named Himgiri, it primarily refers to the snow-clad mountains of the Himalaya range. The erstwhile INS Himgiri was commissioned in November 1974 and joined the Western Naval Command as the frontline warship. In 1985, the ship patrolled the Bombay High Oil Field,s safeguarding critical offshore assets. In 1988, she served in Op Cactus. Beyond combat, she played a key role in bringing relief supplies in the aftermath of the 2001 Gujarat earthquakes as part of Op Sahayata. The ship was decommissioned in May 2005.INS Udaygiri is going to be part of the Eastern Command’s fleet, also referred to as the Sunrise Fleet. It is being commanded by Captain Vikas Sood, whose father served on board the erstwhile INS Udaygiri, which has the motto Sanyuktaha Paramojayaha – in togetherness there is great victory. INS Himgiri, which will serve under the Western Naval Command, has the motto Adrushyam Ajayam, which means “invisible and invincible”, suggesting that it is invisible on the battlefield and invincible in battle.The road ahead: Indian Navy’s continuing indigenous marchWith the commissioning of the three ships of the Nilgiri-class over, the remaining four are expected to be commissioned over the next one and a half years.Story continues below this adThe Project-17 Bravo frigates (P-17B), which would entail construction of seven Next Generation class of frigates, which will be a follow-on for Nilgiri-class frigates, are already in the pipeline. According to sources, an “Acceptance of Necessity (AoN)” has been granted by the Defence Acquisition Council led by the Defence Minister in September last year. This class of ships is also slated to be built by the MDL and GRSE.The P-17B ships are slated to have futuristic weapons, communication, command and control systems and are expected to have a higher percentage of indigenous content than the Nilgiri-class.