Rajnath Singh Launches P17A Stealth Frigate in Kolkata, Says India Will 'Stand by Friends'

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said India remains committed to its friends as he referred to the ongoing political and economic crisis in Sri Lanka.

The defence minister was in Kolkata to launch the P17A stealth frigate Dunagiri, built by PSU Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, onto the river Hooghly. P17A ships are guided-missile frigates. In his address before the launch, Singh said that such launch of ships by Indian shipyards signifies the advancement of self-reliance of the country.

“You know what’s happening in Sri Lanka and also what happened in Ukraine. We try to help our friends. We are immensely happy the way Bangladesh is developing and we will stand by them,” he said.

Dunagiri is the second of GRSE’s three Advanced Frigates. Upholding the maritime tradition, the naming ceremony of the ship was performed by Kala Hari Kumar, wife of Admiral R Hari Kumar, the Chief of Naval Staff.

Admiral R Hari Kumar, Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta, Lt Gen RP Kalita, Commodore PR Hari (Retd), Chairman and Managing Director of GRSE, and other senior officials of the Indian Armed Forces, GRSE and a host of other dignitaries were present on the occasion.

The state-of-the-art ship will be fitted with the latest gadgets and undergo extensive trials by GRSE, which was contracted to build three stealth frigates under Project 17A, before being handed over to the Indian Navy for commissioning into service.

The first P17A frigate built by GRSE was launched in December 2020 by Madhulika Rawat, the wife of then Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat.

P17A ships are guided-missile frigates, each of which is 149 metres long with a displacement of approximately 6,670 tonnes and a speed of 28 knots.

The Navy had placed orders for seven stealth frigates, four of which went to Mazagon Dock Ltd (MDL) and three to GRSE. The Rs 19,294-crore contract for construction of the three stealth frigates under Project 17A is reportedly the largest-ever order for GRSE.

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