The seven ship class, developed under Project 17A, was developed based on Project 17 Shivalik-class frigates. A total of four ships were built by MDL with the remaining three under various stages of outfitting, while three more are being made by GRSE. The Nilgiri, launched in 2019, was affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and other delays. The ship is now expected to be handed over to the Navy by December 2024.
Compared to Project-17 Shivalik-class frigates, the MoD claims that the Nilgiri-class has better stealth features, indigenous weapons and sensors. These frigates are being built using integrated construction methodology. The P17A frigates incorporate new design concepts for improved survivability, sea keeping, stealth and ship manoeuverability. However, the ships still feature non-stealthy Soviet era armament such as the L&T Indigenous Rocket Launcher (IRL), which is an Indian version of the RBU-6000 ASW rocket launcher as well as the AWEIL made AK-630 CIWS. The ships are constructed of indigenous DMR 249A grade steel and can accommodate 2 helicopters.
The Nilgiri class is designed to feature the following armament: eight BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, 32 MRSAM, torpedoes, AK-630, IRL, Kavach chaff launchers and a 76mm gun. The sensor suite includes a hull mounted sonar, Elta MFSTAR AESA primary radar, Indra Lanza-N 3D surveillance radar, navigation radar, EW suite and more. The class can be expected to be equipped with weapons like the VL-SRSAM and LRLACM in the future.
All seven ships are expected to be commissioned by 2027. A follow-on order for the Project 17A Nilgiri-class frigates, called Project 17B, may consist of up to 8 ships at an estimated cost of about $8.3 billion. As with Project 17A, this order is also expected to be split between two shipyards. This project can be expected to have higher indigenous content and bridge the gap between the Navy’s current and Next Generation (NG) nomenclature classes of capital warships.
The induction of these ships is expected to improve the Navy’s high end combatant strength with the Project 17B frigates, Next Generation Corvettes and Next Generation Destroyers still years away from translating into contracts. The last of the Project 15B Visakhapatnam class destroyers is to be delivered by December 2024. The Nilgiri class as well as follow-on Talwar class frigates will keep improving the fleet strength. The period also is indicative of a transition in the Indian Navy with indigenous radars, sensors, missiles and engines being looked at to drastically decrease dependency on imports.
General specifications of the Nilgiri class are as follows:
Length: 149 m
Breadth: 17.8 m
Draught: 5.22 m
Displacement: 6,673 tons
Speed: 28 knots
Propulsion: CODOG with two LM2500 gas turbines
Range: 5,500 nautical miles at 16 knots
Crew: 226 sailors