Minister urges public-private sectors to make India indigenous shipbuilding hub
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the newly launched and indigenously-designed frontline warships of ‘INS Surat’ and ‘INS Udaygiri’ will be among the most technologically advanced missile carriers in the world, that will cater to the present as well as future requirements of the Indian Navy.
Launching the ships at Mazagon Docks Limited (MDL), Mumbai, on 17 May 2022, he said, ‘Surat’ is the fourth Guided Missile Destroyer of P15B class, while ‘Udaygiri’ is the second Stealth Frigate of P17A class.
“Both warships have been designed in-house by the Directorate of Naval Design (DND) and built at MDL.”
The Minister described the warships as an embodiment of the Government’s unwavering commitment to enhance the country’s maritime capability, with focus on achieving ‘Aatmanirbharta’, at a time when the world is witnessing disruption in global supply chain due to COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
He congratulated the MDL for continued ship production activities despite the pandemic and meeting the strategic requirements of the Indian Navy in the current geo-political scenario.
“In the times to come, we will not only fulfil our own needs, but will also meet the shipbuilding requirements of the world,” he said, underlining the ‘Make in India, Make for the World’ potential.
Asserting that global security, border disputes and maritime dominance have led nations around the world to modernise their military, Singh exhorted the public and the private sectors to make full use of their capabilities by taking advantage of the Government’s policies and contribute towards making India an indigenous shipbuilding hub.
He assured of all possible support from the Government in this endeavour.
Meanwhile, MDL is working on Project 15B class of ships which are the next-generation stealth guided-missile destroyers of the Indian Navy. These are follow-on class of the weapon intensive P15A (Kolkata Class) Destroyers.
Also under construction are seven P17A Frigates or warships that are follow-on class of the P17 (Shivalik Class) Frigates with improved stealth features, advanced weapons and sensors and platform management systems.
The P17A Frigates are under various stages of construction at MDL and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE).
Indigenous construction of complex frontline platforms such as Destroyers and Frigates is in line with the Government’s vision on ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’, said the Defence Ministry. fiinews.com
