Explained: Indian Navy’s new stealth frigate Taragiri and its significance

India’s marine defence system received a huge boost on Sunday with the launching of ‘Taragiri’, the third stealth frigate of the Indian Navy’s Project 17A.

The event — at Mumbai’s Mazgaon Dock Shipbuilders Limited — was held without celebrations due to the “national mourning” announced by the central government in the wake of Queen Elizabeth’s death. It was limited to a technical launch as being tide-dependent, a change in the schedule was not possible, officials added.

Taragiri, the name of the ship, was given by Charu Singh, president of the Navy Wives Welfare Association (western region) and the wife of the chief guest Vice Admiral Ajendra Bahadur Singh, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command.

Here’s all we know about India’s third stealth frigate and its significance to the Indian Navy.

What’s a stealth frigate?

Before we understand the significance of Taragiri, let’s get a better understanding of what exactly is a stealth frigate.

A stealth frigate is a type of ship which is especially used as a war vessel and is concealed from the navy vessels of other countries. It is an important warfare tactic that is used by nations wide across the world.

It employs stealth technology that makes it harder for it to be detected by one or more of radar, visual, sonar, and infrared methods.

The major feature that is taken into account while constructing a stealth ship is about right angles. Conventional ships are designed in such a way that they deflect and reflect the radar and infrared rays that hit. This reflecting surface is known as the Radar Cross Section (RCS). By not constructing the ships with any right angles, such deflection and emerging RCS are avoided, making the ship a stealth ship.

The technology for a stealth ship was first developed and used by the German navy. Over the years almost every country has adopted the technology quite successfully.

The Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders in Mumbai has undertaken the detailed design and construction of Taragiri. Image Courtesy: @PRODefNgp/Twitter

All about Taragiri

Taragiri to be constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders (MDL) is part of Indian Navy’s Project 17A.

For the unaware, Project 17A is a programme under which seven such guided-missile frigates — four at MDL and three at Kolkata’s Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) — are being constructed for the Navy at a total cost of Rs 27,500 crore.

According to an Indian Express report, the first ship of Project 17A, Nilgiri, was launched on 28 September 2019 and is expected to undergo sea trials in the first half of 2024. The second ship of P17A class, Udaygiri, was launched on 17 May this year and is expected to start sea trials in the second half of 2024. The keel of the fourth and final ship was laid on 28 June this year.

All the ships in the project are named after hill ranges in India and Taragiri is named after a hill range in the Himalayas located in Garhwal, Uttarakhand.

The keel of ‘Taragiri’ was laid on 10 September 2020 and is expected to be delivered by August 2025.

The vessel is being launched with an approximate launch weight of 3,510 tonnes. The frigate is designed by the Indian Navy’s in-house design organisation, the Bureau of Naval Design.

According to officials, the 149-metre-long and 17.8-metre-wide ship will be propelled by a combination of two gas turbines and two main diesel engines which are designed to achieve a speed of more than 28 knots at a displacement of as much as 6,670 tonnes.

Moreover, this indigenously designed stealth frigate will have state-of-the-art weapons, sensors, an advanced action information system, an integrated platform management system, world class modular living spaces, sophisticated power distribution system and a host of other advanced features. It will be fitted with supersonic surface-to-surface missile system.

Two 30 mm rapid-fire guns will provide the ship with close-in-defence capability while an SRGM gun will enable her to provide effective naval gunfire support.

Officials added that the indigenous content in Taragiri is approximately 75 per cent — a huge boost to the Aatmanirbhar Bharat programme and a testament to the country’s defence production.

Significance of stealth frigates

Stealth frigates such as Taragiri are expected to play an important role in the Indian maritime domain by securing the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

Earlier, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had said that he ever-evolving security scenario in the Indian Ocean and the Indo-Pacific region demands a more important role for the Indian Navy in the times to come.

“The Indo-Pacific region is important for the economy of the whole world. India is a responsible maritime stakeholder in the region. We support consensus-based principles and peaceful, open, rule-based and stable maritime order. Being an important country in this region, it is the primary objective of our Navy to keep the Indo-Pacific open, safe and secure,” he was quoted as saying.

The stealth frigate will also help maintain Indian Navy’s dominance against a rising Pakistan, which is being aided by China. In November last year, China had delivered to Pakistan its biggest stealth warship, a Type054 frigate.

For China, the Indian Ocean has always been its weak link in its global ambition, where it has a limited presence. The Indian Navy, historically, has maintained its dominance in the region. By aiding Pakistan’s Navy’s capabilities, Beijing is seeking to offset — if not challenge — the dominance of the Indian Navy.

With inputs from agencies

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